Midnight Pursuit of a Black Specter
by Swagnarok
Summary: Rum spearheads a BO plot to steal an advanced Russian tank. The CIA, FBI, and PSB, under Elena's leadership, become aware of his identity and formulate a plan to capture the elusive Black Crow. Meanwhile, Conan and Haibara's secret identities may've been compromised. Two-hour special, Episode 936.
1. Chapter 1

The tranquility of night. On the shipping docks, next to the sea, a receiving area for the world's cargo to flow into the international city of Tokyo.

"Yuriko-kun?" the woman called out. "Yuriko-kun, it's all right! You can come on out! We want to help you!"

She had read the target's file. Yuriko Amane, age 18. At age fourteen her friends had invited her to a college party, where she was introduced to heroin. She became a regular user, forking over her allowance to a local dealer every Friday, until that quickly became no longer enough to support her habit. She turned to odd jobs like babysitting her best friend's two little brothers, but that wasn't enough either, especially as she began using more frequently. She soon turned to pawning off her personal possessions, and then to stealing.

Her ill-tempered father caught her stealing from him one day, and he proceeded to beat her until she passed out. However, desperate for her daily fix she had no choice but to continue to steal from him, and more beatings followed, until one day, when she was 15, he finally had enough and he locked her in her room with no food, water, or basic hygiene needs. On the second day she tore down the wall and escaped. She ran far away from home, having sex with random strangers to obtain money for food and drugs. On the streets she met a middle-aged man who initially treated her very kindly, gave her a place to stay, and treated her almost like a princess. She fell captive to his charms and became his lover.

However, over time he progressively became more and more abusive to her, and he forced her back into prostitution, but this time he kept most of the profits. Eventually she came to fear for her life, and one mid-afternoon while he was passed out after a night of heavy drinking she strangled him in his sleep and fled again, working once more as a prostitute under the professional name "Snow Lotus".

Finally she quit prostitution and came to work instead as a drug smuggler. This job initially paid much better, until her mysterious employers began underpaying her and threatening to kill her if she tried to quit.

Three months ago, she was given a suitcase full of heroin. Instead of completing her assigned route, however, she ran with the suitcase, its monetary value being in excess of 500,000,000 yen (or about 5 million USD).

Her mysterious employers, it so happened, were the Men in Black, the agents of the Black Organisation. And they did not tolerate traitors.

"Yuriko-kun?" Hidemi called out again.

She heard footsteps. She turned around and saw a teenage girl, the target.

What she didn't expect, however, was that the target was visibly pregnant.

Hidemi paused; though she already felt horrible about leading this poor girl to her execution, having her unborn child die with her made this Black Crow feel even worse.

"…I know you," Yuriko said. "You're that famous reporter, Mizunashi Rena."

"You're confused, Yuriko-kun," Hidemi said. "I'm a social worker, and I'm here to help you. We'll give you and your baby and place to stay. We'll help you break free from your drug addiction. You'll be able to get a real job and support yourself and your child. Please, step into the light so I can see you better."

The girl hesitantly complied. Hidemi swallowed hard, trying to not break her composure.

And then it was over. The distinct sound of a silenced gun rippled through the air, and a bullet pierced Yuriko's heart.

She lost her balance, and Hidemi rushed to catch her. She held the dying girl in her arms.

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry," Hidemi whispered, trying to hold back a tear. A half minute passed and then Yuriko was dead.

"Excellent work, as usual, Kir." Gin stepped into the spotlight, a silenced rifle in hand.

Black Organisation agent Hidemi Hondou, AKA "Kir", stood upright to face her colleague. She grinned. "It's my pleasure to help exterminate vermin wherever they hide. Any more traitors need sniping tonight?"

"No, that's all for now," Gin said. "Get some rest, you've got a big mission coming up soon."

The long silver-haired man calmly lit a cigarette and walked away.

 **Scene Transition**

The young skull-faced man ascended the stairs to Hidemi's apartment, where the young woman was leaning against the railing, a shaken look on her face.

"You wanted to see me?"

Hidemi looked at Yoshiteru Nichimura, and at she knew that she was free to let down her mask. He was someone who she could trust, someone who she could confide her true feelings with and, in a happier time long gone, something more than that.

She completely broke down sobbing and fell into his arms. "I…I can't take this anymore," she said. "Please, I want out. I can't stand to kill people with a smile any longer."

"Shhh," her former boyfriend said, wrapping his arms around her.

They both were silent for a good half minute, content to remain in each other's arms. Finally Hidemi took a step back, her professional composure restored and that brief moment of intimacy officially over.

"Unless I'm taken out of this assignment, I'm formally resigning from the CIA," she said. "Ryan can find himself another mole. I know what you're thinking, that what I do is for the greater good, perhaps for the salvation of humanity. But that doesn't make it any easier. And I refuse to take part in it any more. Either you find another mission for me, or I'm done."

"You don't need to say anything," Yoshiteru said. "I understand. In fact, the timing of your decision couldn't be more perfect."

"Huh?"

"Agent Hondou, in your capacity as a non-official cover within the Black Organisation we have one final mission for you. Should you choose to accept, and should we succeed, you'll be able to discard the codename Kir for good, and we will have achieved a major victory against the Men in Black. For the purpose of this mission Elena-san, the FBI and even the Japanese Public Security Bureau have agreed to lend us their full cooperation and assistance."

"I'm in. Tell me more."

 **Opening**

(Escape by Ling Tosite Sigure)

One day I'll decipher the truth behind this elaborate deception

One day I'll find the shining door that leads to the outside

The hidden eyes of this world which have been watching me for so long

Have no idea that now I stare back, more determined than ever to escape!

(Trying new things is refreshing to the soul! Who is Rum? Who is the man behind the mask? That's the question everyone wants answered! But like an animal backed into a corner, Rum isn't afraid to bare his fangs! Perceiving the one and only truth! With the body of a child but the mind of an adult...my name is Detective Conan!)

For years now I've tried everything to stifle my long-standing suspicions

My gut feeling that something was fundamentally wrong with the world

I convinced myself I that I was imagining it, laughing nervously as I talked

I played it straight, lived my life, and drank deeply of all this world had to offer

But I can't take it anymore, I don't know who and what is real anymore

I need to clear my head, to splash cold water on my face, but is the water real?

One day I'll make sense of the inconsistencies that pop up around me

One day I'll piece together this incoherent puzzle which is the truth

One day I'll decipher the truth behind this elaborate deception

One day I'll find the shining door that leads to the outside

The hidden eyes of this world which have been watching me for so long

Have no idea that now I stare back, more determined than ever to escape!

 **Midnight Pursuit of a Black Specter**

"Look, a deer!"

"Huh? I don't see anything!"

"It's right there! You can't…? Oh."

As part of what had become a monthly tradition in this past year, Dr. Agasa was taking the Detective Boys camping. This would be the first trip that included Nancy, though Ran had been a part of such trips before. She had been present during the last trip, which took place shortly before her death.

The Professor's classic yellow Volkswagen Beetle only had five seats in total, three in the back and two in the front. Some level of seat-sharing had already been necessary ever since Haibara began joining them on these trips (and due to Genta's obesity); with Nancy onboard, it was even more crowded.

Genta sat in the front passenger seat. In the back Mitsuhiko and Haibara shared a seat, Nancy and Conan shared a seat, and Ayumi had the left seat to herself.

Mitsuhiko was blushing profusely as Haibara's head leaned against his shoulder, fast asleep.

Nancy looked out the window and gazed out at the lush countryside. "This brings back fond memories. You remember that trip to Saitama ten years back?"

"Yeah," Conan said. "The Professor's rental car was so small we had to share a seat, just like we're doing now. And we looked the same then as we do now, your braids and my glasses aside."

"We were a lot less smart then, though," Nancy pointed out. "And these guys weren't with us then."

"Well, they weren't even alive back then, Haibara excluded," Conan said.

"Plus, I looked a lot different back then," Dr. Agasa chimed in.

Mitsuhiko looked at Haibara and then the Professor. "Did Haibara-san stay up late last night?"

"That she did," Dr. Agasa said. "She streamed _Shoudou_ on Notflix and binge-watched the entire first season."

"Ah, that's the new sports drama starring Higo-san, right?" Ayumi said. "Ai-chan's been telling me how much she really wanted to watch that."

"Yeah," Dr. Agasa said. "The protagonist is named 'Ryosuke Hida' I think, a teenage football (soccer) player who aspires to play for a team called Large Osaka."

How original, Conan thought with a deadpan look.

" _Go for it_ , _go for it_ ," Haibara mumbled in her sleep. " _Aijou koso ga shoudou_."

"Also, she played football for nearly five hours yesterday, so in between those two things she's got to be exhausted," Dr. Agasa said.

"Doesn't that show also have Yoko-chan star as the protagonist's girlfriend?" Nancy pointed out.

"Yoko-chan?" Ayumi said. "You've also met Yoko Okino, Nancy?"

"Once or twice," Nancy said.

"Hey, professor, is that true?" Conan asked. "About Yoko-san being in that show, I mean."

"Uh, yeah," Dr. Agasa said. "Last night I was vacuuming in the living room and I saw a scene with Yoko-san and Higo-san talking."

"But she knows, right?" Conan asked, practically whispering by this point. "I mean, I've told her that other thing…about Yoko-san."

"Yeah, she's aware of that," Dr. Agasa said. "Despite that, she's still a fan of Yoko-san because Higo-san likes her music. She's decided never to meet with Yoko-san again though, knowing how dangerous that person now is. I guess she's decided to be a fan from afar."

Recently, Conan and his allies had learned the truth about Yoko Okino: upon the recent death of the former Boss, the young singer had taken his place as the new Boss of the Black Organisation, making her the single most dangerous living person that Shinichi/Conan had personally met.

From time to time Kogoro had a case which involved Yoko, or he co-starred with her on television commercials and the likes. Conan naturally was with Kogoro during these encounters with Yoko, but at the time he had no idea what an evil person she was. Fortunately, ever since he found out her identity, neither Kogoro nor Conan had any encounters with her, and he sincerely hoped that they never would again.

It was already awkward enough on Saturday nights whenever Kogoro was glued to the TV screen cheering on Yoko loudly and excitedly. In another encounter with her as Conan, how would he act the exact same around the woman as he did before he knew her black secret?

"Ah, professor, is that the camp site?" Genta asked.

"Indeed it is."

"At last!"

"Haibara-san, wake up! We're here!"

 **Scene Transition**

"…Done!"

The tent had been assembled. The Professor, meanwhile, was preparing their dinner.

"Ooh, are you grilling eel by any chance, Professor?" Genta asked.

Dr. Agasa chuckled. "No, this is barbecued ribs. I got this recipe from my friend in America."

"What kind of wood are you using to smoke that?" Conan asked.

"Mesquite," Dr. Agasa answered. "I'm going to add honey, along with a few secret ingredients. This meal will take something like two hours to prepare, so you children should go pl…"

"Mmm, what a nice smoky aroma."

Standing behind the Professor was…

"H-Higo-san!" Conan said. "What are you doing here?"

"We're doing some filming for the latest episode," Ryusuke Higo said. "You've heard about my new show, right?"

"Ah, we were talking about that on the way here!" Mitsuhiko said. "Haibara-san watched the entire first season last night!"

Higo wasn't wearing his soccer uniform, but rather sweatpants and a light jacket. He looked at the little girl with 90s hair. "I remember you. We met during at that Italian restaurant, right? A real shame what happened then. Though it still inspires me how you confronted that bad guy."

Haibara was rendered speechless, and she was blushing so hard about a third of her face was red.

"I…I…" she stammered, not knowing what to say to her idol.

"Ah, and I remember you too, Conan-kun," Higo said. "Are things going well for you?"

Conan nodded. "You said you came here to film the latest episode of your show?"

"That's right," Higo said. "There are some technical difficulties that need resolving, so I've got maybe half an hour before I have to go back."

"H-h-how about a game of football (soccer)?!" Haibara blurted out as loud as she could, still blushing.

"Huh?" Higo said.

"I've been practicing hard!" Haibara declared, embarrassed. "So how about it? It'd mean a lot to me."

Higo chuckled. "Alright. All of you against me. Sound good?"

 **Scene Transition**

And so, the content of Haibara's most frequent daydream, playing football with Ryusuke Higo, came true, albeit not on a peer, professional level. Not yet, anyway.

Due to his large size and, as a result, his low stamina, Genta was the obvious choice for a goalie.

It goes without saying that the six-to-one ratio wasn't enough. Higo still mopped the floor with them, until the scoring was 0-5.

The six detective boys huddled together.

"I've got a plan," Conan said. "It's obvious that we aren't going to win, but at least we can score one goal. So listen up…"

They broke the huddle and took their positions.

Haibara aggressively ran at the ball while Nancy and Mitsuhiko moved to block Higo. They managed to keep the ball out of Higo's grasp for a few seconds, allowing Conan to get into position. Then Haibara kicked it to him.

He bent down, activated his power-enhancing kick shoes, and hit the ball so hard that it went flying into the goal on the other side of the field. Higo was forced to hit the floor really fast to avoid being hit in the face by the ball. Sure enough it was a goal for the Detective Boys.

"Dang, kid," Higo said. "What kind of a kick was that? I've never seen anything like it."

Conan chuckled. "I've been practicing too."

"Nonsense," Higo said. "I don't care how much you practice: no eight year old boy can do what you just did. What's your secret?"

"It's his shoes," Mitsuhiko said.

"His…shoes?" Higo asked.

Conan sighed. "Higo-san, the Professor made me these special shoes that enhance the power of my kicks."

Higo chuckled. "I must admit, I wouldn't believe you if I didn't just witness it for myself. That Professor of yours is one cool guy, that's for sure."

Haibara had gone to the other side of the field and grabbed the ball. She was on her way back whenever…

"Ah, Higo-kun! There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

Haibara forgot all about the ball and dropped it right then and there.

"Ah, it's Yoko-chan!" Ayumi said excitedly. "You two are here on another date?"

"What? No!" Yoko said with a nervous chuckle. "We're here to film."

"You too?" Genta asked.

"Oh wait, Nancy did say that Yoko-san was in Higo-san's show," Mitsuhiko said. "You play his girlfriend, right?"

"Oh, so you too are dating!" Genta said.

"No, Genta, it's all pretend," Mitsuhiko said.

"Anyway, the issue's been resolved," Yoko said to Higo. "Where were you?"

Higo looked at his watch. "Dang! It's really been that long? Sorry, I guess I lost track of the time playing football with these kids."

He turned to the Detective Boys. "Well, it's been fun, but we've got a scene to shoot."

He walked over to Haibara and ruffled her hair affectionately. "You did good, kid. I'm impressed. Maybe one day you really will be in the big leagues, if you keep at it." Then he walked off with Yoko.

Conan could tell something was wrong by the simple fact that Haibara wasn't ecstatic. He walked over to her.

As Yoko was walking away, she stopped for a moment.

"That girl," she muttered. She turned around and stared at Haibara. It was almost like a glare, really.

Sherry and The Boss made eye contact, which remained unbroken for a solid fifteen seconds. Haibara contemplated running, but Conan put his hand on her shoulder, which calmed her down and allowed the shrunken biochemist to maintain her gaze. She felt like it was a death game: if she lost her nerve, her hunters would be onto her secret identity, and despite her best efforts she'd be dead before the end of the day.

"Yo, what's up?" Higo asked.

"…It's nothing," Yoko said, and the two of them headed back to the filming location.

As soon as they were a good distance away…

"I know what you're thinking," Conan said. "But if you ran just now, whatever suspicions that woman has about you would've been confirmed in an instant. Yoko-san has seen your face several times before now, and you're still alive and well, so your secret must still be safe. Act natural and she'll be less likely to suspect you."

"But how do I do that around the people who want me dead?" she asked.

"By refusing to be afraid of them," Conan said. "The best thing you can do towards that end is to be able to have a casual conversation with Ayumi-chan while those people are watching you."

"Are you crazy?!" Haibara exploded. "If I know they're watching me but I continue to associate with these children, I'll be putting them in Gin's crosshairs! Do you really want that?"

"I'll be frank," Conan said. "Your tendency to run away like a coward in their presence is perhaps your greatest weakness. They've exploited that before, and they'll do it again one day if you don't find a way to deal with your fears."

"Uh, I'd like to know what you two are talking about," Mitsuhiko said.

"Me too," Ayumi said.

"It's nothing," Conan said.

They didn't look convinced.

"Hey, do you guys want to watch Higo-san film up close?" Nancy asked.

Haibara had a panicky look on her face over Nancy's sudden proposal, and she was about to protest loudly when…

"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea!" Conan said. "What do you guys think?"

"Do you really think they'll let us?" Mitsuhiko asked excitedly.

"If we're quiet, sure," Nancy said.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Genta asked. "Come on, let's go!"

Nancy whispered in Haibara's ear, "You should come with us."

Mitsuhiko, Ayumi, Genta, and Nancy went on ahead, leaving Conan and Haibara alone.

"Why did she…?" Haibara began.

"Because you were acting funny just now, right in front of Yoko-san," Conan said. "Ran wants your identity to be safe as much as I do, and I guess she believes the best way to ensure this is for you to watch them film and act like a normal kid around Yoko-san, to compensate for earlier. Plus, she's sure you'd enjoy watching Higo-san up close as he plays his character and says his lines."

"It's a wonder you survived this long, with all the risks you take," Haibara said. "Thanks but no thanks. I can't enjoy myself with one of the Men in Black around, so I'm going back to the campsite. Have fun, and take care that Yoko-san doesn't recognise you as her agent Cognac."

 **Scene Transition**

The two of them walked along the hiking trail, leaves floating gently in the breeze. They stepped onto a wooden bridge erected over a gently flowing creek.

"I'm not sure if I'm cut out to be a professional football player," he said.

"B-but, to play for Large Osaka is all you've ever wanted to do!" she protested.

"I know, but now that I'm in, it's like everything's different," he said. "I never have time for anything else anymore. It's just practice, practice, practice all the time. I had to call in sick just so we could meet like this."

"What? You skipped practice?!" she said.

"Look, we haven't seen each other in like three weeks," he said. "Is being a star athlete worth everything that I'm missing? Being with you, with my old friends. I'm even starting to miss my brothers and sisters now. I just…I don't know what to do."

She put her hand on his shoulder. "Hey, if you're not happy playing for Large Osaka…then you have my permission to quit. Don't remain in a miserable situation just to avoid disappointing other people. If you just want to go home, I won't hold that against you. But think very carefully before you make a decision: this is your lifelong dream we're talking about. I don't want to be something that holds you back from that."

She walked away, leaving him alone to make his decision. He leaned against the railing of the small wooden bridge and sighed.

"AAAANNNDD CUUUUTTTT!"

The camera stopped rolling.

"Oh man, that was rich!" the producer said. "The viewers are gonna eat this up! Our ratings are gonna go through the roof, I tell ya! The roof! Ooh, it just makes me giddy thinking about all the money we're gonna rake in for this one! Yeah!"

"Finally," Yoko said.

It had been their seventeenth take.

"So, there any more scenes to shoot here?" Higo asked.

"Yeah, one more," the producer, 51 year old Donpei Mizumoto, said. "Hey Mutsuki, you got all that, right?"

Mutsuki Inaba, age 32, the camera operator, nodded. "Yeah, it's all here on the camera."

A man, 33 year old Asao Motoyama, the script supervisor, was returning from the bathroom.

"Uh oh," a woman, 26 year old Kusako Oryo, the make-up artist, said. "Yoko-san, your hair's starting to look a bit messy. Here, let me fix it for you."

"So uh, tell me about this next scene," Higo said.

"Actually, this scene is for the next episode, but me and Donpei-san figured it'd be a waste to come back here a second time when we could just go ahead and shoot the scene now," Asao said.

"So what happens?" Yoko asked.

"Oh, you're gonna like this," Asao said. "Ryosuke Hida and Yuko Akino meet at this same place, and he tells her he's gonna keep on playing for Large Osaka. Not wanting to be a distraction for his budding career, she breaks up with him."

"Of course, it'd be strange if you two had the exact same outfits on a different day," Kusako said.

"Understood," Ryusuke said. "If you'll hand me my costume I'll go change in a bathroom."

"I trust you know where it is?" Mutsuki asked.

Ryusuke nodded.

And so he, Yoko, and Kusako headed for the bathroom facility to change costumes.  
"Aaaah, so this is what filming's like!" Ayumi said excitedly.

"We are so lucky!" Mitsuhiko said. "I'm gonna start watching this show, if only to see what these two scenes look like on TV!"

"This is kind of boring," Genta said. "I wonder if the Professor's done with those ribs yet. I'm heading back."

"Yeah, me too," Nancy said.

"Hey, Nancy," Conan said. "If you're going back to the campsite, could you keep an eye on you-know-who?"

Nancy nodded.

 **Scene Transition**

Genta and Nancy returned to the campsite.

"Huh? The two of you are back already?" Dr. Agasa said. "Well, I guess that means more company for Ai-kun."

"Where is she, by the way?" Nancy asked.

"Uh, in the tent, I think," the Professor answered.

Nancy entered the tent, but Haibara wasn't in there. Rather, she was behind the tent, staring out at the woods.

"Uh, hey," Nancy said. "What are you doing?"

"I'm thinking," Haibara said.

"About what?"

"About whether or not I should call that man."  
"That man?" Nancy asked.

"Shuichi Akai."

Nancy/Ran thought back. She met Shuichi Akai on several occasions. In New York two years ago, on the sidewalk one snowy night..."Why?"

"The Boss of that Organisation saw my face. She took a good look at me, for several seconds. I think she knows. If that's the case, then I don't have a lot of time. They're going to send someone after me. I can't trust any adult, not even the Professor. Rum might kill him and assume his identity so as to get close to me before piercing my temple with a bullet."

"If you can't trust any adult, then can you trust Akai-san?" Nancy pointed out. "What if Rum assumes his identity and takes you away in his car? You're safer with us: if this Rum tries anything, he's likely going to isolate you first."

"You don't get it, do you?" Haibara exploded. "The Men in Black don't care about civilian casualties. If they must kill everyone I care about to get to me, they'll do it. In a heartbeat. That's why I must get away now, before children are put in danger."

"Where will you go?" Nancy asked.

"The Witness Protection Program," Haibara answered. "I'll tell the FBI everything I know, and in exchange they'll help me start a new life elsewhere. They offered me this before, and I turned them down. Now it would seem that I have no choice."

"You don't know that," Nancy said. "Yoko-san may be suspicious, but for the time being that's it. They don't know what the shrinking pill does, right? If they did, they'd try to contact Conan Edogawa whenever they wanted to meet with Cognac, wouldn't they?"

"Yeah, but…"

"You do realise, I'm assuming, that if you join the Witness Protection Program you'll be forced to cut all ties with everyone you know. This second chance at life that you've managed to make for yourself, you'll have to throw that away."

"Well, maybe I can at least work alongside my parents," Haibara said. "I'm sure there's something I can do to advance their cause, and I'll be with my little brother too."

"Yes, but you hardly know those people," Nancy said. "Even though they're your family. You're with Mitsuhiko, Ayumi, Genta, and Conan on a daily basis. Besides, as it stands right now you're able to stay in contact with both. Are you willing to give that up?"

"Like I said, I have no choice," Haibara said. "I'm going to make the call now."

She began dialing the number, and Nancy grabbed Haibara's arm.

"I've got a better idea," Nancy said. "If this works, the threat to your life will pass, and you'll be able to stay where you are now. Do you trust me?"

"No," Haibara said. "I understand that you mean me no harm, but I hardly know you even after all this time."

"You're going to have to," Nancy said. "Because if you join the Witness Protection Program, then I'll follow suit."

Haibara scoffed. "Not possible."

"Oh but I know something," Nancy said. "Something that neither you nor Shinichi know. I remember the man who killed me."

"Gin."

"No, someone else."

"What?"

"I know it's hard to believe, but Gin wasn't my killer. It was someone else, someone who was dressed up to look like Gin. Definitely Organisation-related though. Methinks the FBI will want to know."

"Wait, you remember details of the night of your death?!" Haibara said.

"Yeah. I know that shouldn't be possible, but somehow it happened to me."

"…No, it isn't necessarily impossible. ELXR-0666 was developed recently, so we still know little about its full effects. It's possible that a phenomenon like what you just described may affect a small percentage of people revived by it. Anyway, you remember who your killer was?"

"Yeah."

"Tell me."  
"Nope, because this little tidbit will help get me into the Witness Protection Program."

"D**n you, Mouri! This isn't your fight!"

"If you choose to run away from this, it will be. So I'll ask again: do you trust me?"

 **Scene Transition**

The film crew was taking a break. Donpei, Kusako, Asao, Yoko, and Ryusuke sat down at a park table. Mutsuki returned from the car with a large bag. In that bag was the lunches for the six of them.

He began to take stuff out of the bag.

"Alright, let's eat!" Ryusuke said.

"Uh, who has this chopped salad with matsutake mushrooms?" Mutsuki asked.

"That'd be me," Donpei said.

He handed the plastic tray/container to Donpei.

Asao looked at his phone. "Uh, I've got to answer a missed call from a friend. I'll be back in a few minutes."

He got up and walked away.

Mutsuki handed out the other lunch items to his coworkers. Ryusuke had a club sandwich and a small bag of chips. He looked at Conan, Mitsuhiko, and Ayumi.

"You guys hungry?" he asked.

"Uh, no, the Professor's cooking for us," Mitsuhiko said.

"Oh yeah, that's right," Ryusuke recalled.

This is nice, Conan thought with a smile. That producer seems to be something of a moneygrubber, but not an outright jerk. Maybe we can have a good trip without any murders this time.

 **Scene Transition**

"And cut."

Filming was over at last.

"So we can go home now?" Ryusuke asked.

"…Yeah," Donpei said.

"Donpei-san? Are you okay?" Yoko asked.

"Yeah, you don't look so good," Asao said.

Donpei clutched his chest, and…

He fell to the floor.

"Donpei-san!"

"Somebody quick, call an ambulance!"

"While you're at it, call the police."

"Huh? Why, Conan-kun?"

"Because…this man may have been murdered."


	2. Chapter 2

And so, what started out as a pleasant camping trip devolved into a nightmare. As soon as Donpei dropped dead, Yoko called an ambulance and the police. Suspecting that a murder had just occurred, Conan had Ryusuke prevent any of the witnesses/suspects from leaving that area of the park, so as to not allow the culprit to dispose of evidence. The ambulance arrived in ten minutes, the police in fifteen. Donpei was in critical condition as he was rushed to the hospital.

"Hello, my name is Officer Ishiuchi. I take it the five of you were with the victim when he collapsed?"

"Yes sir," Ryusuke said. "You see…"

 **Scene Transition**

Conan, Ayumi, and Mitsuhiko returned to the campsite.

"Ah, Conan. What happened back there?" Dr. Agasa asked. "I saw an ambulance and a police car. Was there a murder?"

"I think so, yeah. The TV producer is being rushed to the hospital for poisoning."

"Was it cyanide? Arsenic?"

"A poison mushroom. He was eating salad with matsutake mushrooms, but there a non-edible one got in there somehow and he ate it. That's what I've heard, anyway. Higo-san asked the medical personnel to keep him updated."

"Dang. Will he be okay?"

"Of what I've heard so far, they aren't sure if he's going to make it. He's middle-aged, and not in such great health."

"Probably the reason why he was eating that salad with mushrooms, ironically," the Professor said. "So you think someone poisoned him?"

"Yeah," Conan said. "There are five suspects, though I'm skeptical that it's either Yoko-san or Higo-san. They've both been caught up in murder cases before and found innocent. Anyway, my suspicions are that someone took a brief walk in the woods, found a poison mushroom, and slipped it in Donpei-san's food."

 **Scene Transition**

The witnesses' statements had been taken.

Kusako had been the one to go buy everyone's lunches for the day. Mutsuki had been the one to go get the food from Kusako's car and bring it to the picnic table. Donpei's meal came in a plastic tray that had a plastic wrapping seal for freshness. To open the tray, one had to rip the seal off first. Everyone there could testify that the seal was in place until Donpei ripped it off at lunchtime. Asao had left to take a missed phone call a few seconds before Donpei removed the seal. Therefore, he was known to have had any chance to slip something in Donpei's food.

Officer Ishiuchi came up with two possibilities: First, that during the production of the meal that Donpei would come to eat, by some grave slip-up a poisonous mushroom ended up among the matsutakes. Second, that someone had intentionally slipped the mushroom into his food. Asao could not have done it and it was unlikely that Donpei poisoned himself, leaving Kusako, Mutsuki, Ryusuke Higo, and Yoko Okino as the suspects. There were several children present, but according to the witnesses they had not gotten close enough to slip anything onto the tray until after Donpei had finished eating, and it was practically unthinkable that a young child would murder somebody anyway.

"Um, okay," Officer Ishiuchi said. "Listen, we're going to take your fingerprints. One of my men has retrieved the tray from a nearby garbage can, and he tells me there's a half-eaten mushroom on there that he says isn't a matsutake. We're going to see if we can pull any fingerprints off of it. If you'll just follow me to the park table over there, we've got it set up there."

"Wait, you've got the equipment for that just lying around?" Ryusuke asked.

"I prefer to take a set with me," Officer Ishiuchi said. "It saves me the trouble of having to go back and forth between the station and the crime scene."

They went to the bench. Mutsuki stepped forward.

Officer Ishiuchi grabbed Mutsuki's hand. "Okay sir, if you'll just…"

"Gah! Don't touch me!" Mutsuki protested, yanking his hand away sharply.

"I'm…sorry?"

"Uh, no, it's me," Mutsuki said, a bit embarrassed now. "You see, I'm severely allergic to latex, and you're wearing latex gloves."

"Is this true?" Officer Ishiuchi asked Mutsuki's colleagues.

"Yeah," Asao said. "There was kind of a big incident two years ago, so everyone in this group can confirm Mutsuki's allergy is real."

Officer Ishiuchi removed his gloves. "Is this better?"

Mutsuki nodded.

And so, Officer Ishiuchi proceeded to take their fingerprints.

 **Scene Transition**

Finally, Dr. Agasa and the six children sat down to enjoy barbecued ribs.

It was quite the somber meal.

"What's the matter?" Dr. Agasa asked. "You guys don't like my cooking?"

"Uh, no, it isn't that," Mitsuhiko said.

"I'm just not hungry right now," Ayumi said.

"I don't imagine anybody is," Haibara said. "Somebody died here today."

"W-well, it's too early to say that he's dead," Dr. Agasa said.

Genta cleared his plate and got up for a third helping. Everyone just looked at him.

"What?" he said. "Is there some kind of rule that a kid isn't allowed to eat?"

"Well, I've got to use the bathroom," Conan said, getting up from the table.

"Ah, let me go with you!" Ayumi said.

"Why?"

"There could be a murderer roaming these woods! I don't want to go by myself, so I've been holding it in for half an hour!"

 **Scene Transition**

Conan walked into the men's restroom. He went up to the toilet and…

It was stomped up. He sighed.

He knocked on the door to the women's restroom. Ayumi, having just finished, opened the door. "Yes?" she asked.

"The toilet's stomped up, and I really have to go number two," Conan said, a very embarrassed and sullen look on his face. "Do you mind?"

A minute later, he was done. He walked out of the women's restroom and looked around to make sure nobody was looking.

"You won't tell anybody about this, will you?" he asked.

Ayumi giggled. "It'll be our little secret."

They turned to leave.

"Wait, I'm gonna go grab a napkin in the men's restroom to dry my hands," Conan said.

He returned to the men's restroom, and as he was getting a napkin he happened to glance at the trash can.

He grinned. So that's how it was done, huh? Alright, culprit-san. I'm onto you now.

 **Scene Transition**

"He's right this way! Hurry, mister!"

Officer Ishiuchi sighed. "Who are you, are why did this girl insist that you wanted to speak with me?"

"Ah, uh, my name's Hiroshi Agasa," the Professor said. "I prefer to think of myself as a jack of all trades, master of none. I'm a scientist by profession. You might've heard of one of my more noteworthy inventions, the…*ahem*."

Conan was hiding behind a tree, a voice-changing bowtie in hand. "Anyways, though, I'm not here to talk about myself. Rather, I'm here to talk to you about the case."

"So you heard, huh?" Kusako said.

"Officer, I have a question for you," Conan/Dr. Agasa said. "Whenever you retrieved the plastic tray with the salad and mushrooms, did you also retrieve the plastic wrapping seal?"

"Uh, yes I did," Officer Ishiuchi said. "Why's that relevant?"

"You might want to take another look at it. A closer examination should reveal that it's been torn in two places: the first, by Donpei-san. The second was done by the culprit. It might be a bit difficult to notice, though, considering that he taped it back together."

Officer Ishiuchi turned to his subordinate. "Look into that at once!"

"Yes sir!"

"Professor, are you saying that this was a murder?" Ryusuke asked.

"Indeed I am saying that, because that's exactly what this was," Conan/Dr. Agasa said. "I'll explain exactly what happened, but first a question. Asao-san, you used the bathroom earlier during the filming of that scene on the bridge, correct?"

"Y-yeah," Asao said.

"Describe what you did in there to me."

"Why's that important?!" Asao protested.

"Answer the question, please."

"Why would I remember something like that? Uh, well, I went in and I used the toilet and I washed my hands and went back to the filming area. Why?"

"Ryusuke-san, you went to the bathroom to change costumes, correct?" Conan/Dr. Agasa asked.

"Yeah," Ryusuke said.

"Did you also use the bathroom while you were there?"

"I used the urinal, yeah," Ryusuke said.

"Why not the toilet?"

"Because the toilet was stomped up," Ryusuke said.

"There you have it," Conan/Dr. Agasa said. "Asao-san, were you the one who stomped up the toilet?"

"Huh? No! That toilet wasn't stomped up, I'm telling you! I used it just fine!"

"Yes, it was fine when you came, I'm betting," Conan/Dr. Agasa said. "But then you tried to flush something that was never meant to be flushed. Latex gloves, I'm guessing?"

Conan could practically smell the terror emanating from Asao Motoyama.

"Asao-san, you took advantage of the long filming process to excuse yourself for a bathroom break. Then you put on latex gloves, went into the woods, and found a poisonous mushroom that someone resembled a matsutake mushroom. Then you opened the trunk to Kusako-san's car and took out Donpei-san's salad tray. I'm assuming maybe you forged a substitute key so that you could unlock it without any sign of breaking and entering. If such a thing is found in your car, it'll count as evidence against you. Anyways, you tore the seal and took the top off of the container. You put the poisoned mushroom in the salad and put the top back on. Then you re-applied the seal, using tape, so that it'd look like nobody had broken the seal. Then you put it back in Kusako's car and entered the men's bathroom. You threw the roll of tape in the trash, flushed the latex gloves, and left. What you didn't know was that the latex gloves wouldn't flush properly but would instead stomp up the toilet. After that point your trick was complete, and you returned to the filming area. Whenever Donpei-san had his lunch later, you left the area to make it seem as though it would've been impossible for you to slip something in his food, thus crafting for yourself a perfect alibi."

Officer Ishiuchi turned to another one of his subordinates.

"I'll have the men's restroom searched right away, sir!" the subordinate said.

"Anybody could've used the trick you just described!" Asao said.

"No, only you could've done it," Conan/Dr. Agasa said. "The roll of tape and inadequately flushed latex gloves can be found in the men's bathroom. It would've looked very suspicious for a woman to enter and exit the men's restroom, so a female culprit likely would've used the women's. Furthermore, Kusako would've had plenty of opportunities to do this trick before showing up here at this park for work, so why would she have brought and disposed of the tape and gloves here? It just doesn't add up. That only leaves you, Mutsuki-san, and Higo-san. From there, we can exclude Mutsuki by the simple fact that he's allergic to latex gloves. Had he been the one wearing the gloves then, his hands would be displaying signs of an allergic reaction now, and they clearly aren't. Plus, as the cameraman he's had the fewest opportunities to get away from everyone else and carry out the aforementioned trick."

"What about me?" Ryusuke asked.

"Well, I suppose there isn't really any hard evidence to rule out Higo-san," Conan/Dr. Agasa said. "However, he sat close to Donpei-san during lunch. If he were the culprit and he used the trick that I described, wouldn't he try to excuse himself from lunch so as to make himself look innocent later on? Asao-san, you were the only one to get up and leave during lunch."

"Where's the proof?" Asao demanded. "Do you have solid proof that I did it?"

Ryusuke walked away to answer his phone.

"Two things," Conan said. "Kusako-san, you always keep the doors to your car locked, correct?"

Kusako nodded. "Y-yeah. I've still got the key with me now, and I've never handed it out to anyone except for Mutsuki-kun earlier. Does that mean…?"

"Correct. Asao-san should have a fake key either on his person or in his vehicle," Conan/Dr. Agasa said. "Secondly, it's possible that he made the careless mistake of throwing away the tape after flushing down the gloves, in which case his fingerprints would be on it. It's unlikely, but I think it's a possibility. Even if not, it's unlikely that he wore gloves when he bought the glue at a store somewhere."

Asao's fragile nerves snapped. He tried to run away, but then Nancy stepped out in front of him. She used her master karate skills to strike him hard in the shin and trip him. It was enough for her to, even in her child body, temporarily incapacitate Asao, allowing Officer Ishiuchi to catch up and handcuff him.

"Asao, why'd you do it?" Mutsuki asked.

"Why do you think?!" Asao barked. "That son of a b***h kept flirting with my wife! I don't regret what I did, and I never will!"

"Hey guys!" Ryusuke said, running back excitedly. "Great news! A nurse told me Donpei-san's going to live, and that he should be back to his normal self in a few weeks!"

Asao sighed. "Then everything I did…it was for nothing."

"If it's any consolation, now you'll only be charged with attempted murder," Officer Ishiuchi said. "Come on, let's go to the station."

 **Scene Transition**

"And to sum it up, the show's going to be on hold for a few weeks, since filming won't resume until Donpei-san's released from the hospital," Ryusuke said to Dr. Agasa and the children. "Professor, your deductions were an inspiration to me. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for finding out who poisoned Donpei-san."

"Well, I guess it was just a spark of genius inspiration," Dr. Agasa said, chuckling haughtily.

You glory hog, Conan thought.

Yoko walked up to them. Haibara could feel the muscles in her body tensing up.

"So, uh, Higo-san, where are you going now?" Nancy asked.

"Ah, I'm going back to Tokyo to drop off Yoko-san," Ryusuke said. "She came here in my car."

"Ah, can we go with you then?" Nancy asked excitedly. "We'd love to take a car ride with two big celebrities!"

"Oh yes, can we?" Haibara said, with an enthusiasm that shocked Conan.

"Uh, sure," Yoko said, a bit surprised that Haibara wanted to come. "Higo-kun, can you drop these kids off when we get to Tokyo?"

"Sure," Ryusuke said with a grin. "It'd be an opportunity for me to spend some more time with my biggest fan."

 **Scene Transition**

"Hey, over here!"

She waved to the tall man with light brown hair, wearing a scarf around his neck.

"You look lovely today," Subaru Okiya complimented. "What ride do you say we should go on?"

"How about the Ferris Wheel?" Hidemi Hondou suggested. "We'll be all alone up in the clouds."

He smiled. "Sounds like a blast."

Luckily for them they didn't have to wait long, and they had an entire Ferris Wheel cabin to themselves. They got inside and the ride began.

They were alone in the cabin, so they could stop pretending now.

"Alright, tell me who he is," Hidemi said. "But first, how did you find out?"  
"I had the good fortune of talking with a man who stumbled upon Rum's identity," Subaru/Shuichi answered.

"Impossible. Such a person wouldn't still be drawing breath in this world."

"You underestimate this person."

"And you underestimate Rum," Hidemi retorted.

"Rum seventeen years ago made a mistake," Shuichi said. "It wasn't that he was careless, but that he made a miscalculation. He misinterpreted this man's dying message, so he chose not to get rid of it."

"Seventeen years ago, dying message," Hidemi mused. "You wouldn't just so happen to be talking about the death of Kohji Haneda, would you?"

"The thing is, he didn't die," Shuichi said. "I would explain here and now, but this Ferris Wheel ride isn't going to last long enough for that. Instead, I'm going to tell you who Rum is, and how to proceed with this operation. Listen carefully."

 **Scene Transition**

"Man, I can't believe that Conan, Nancy, and Haibara-san get to ride with Yoko Okino and Higo-san and we didn't!" Genta said, sulking.

"Now, now, you know there was only enough room in Higo-san's car for the three of them and Yoko-san," Dr. Agasa said.

"Yeah, but don't you think it's strange how the three of them are like in their own separate group?" Mitsuhiko asked. "When Haibara-san showed up, she and Conan would talk about adult stuff in private, and now Nancy's doing the same thing with them."

"I almost get the feeling like they're older than they look," Ayumi said.

"W-well, that's kind of an exaggeration, don't you think?" The Professor blurted out, chuckling nervously.

 **Scene Transition**

"Boy, what an experience today was!" Yoko said to the three children in the back. "Were you scared to hear that a man almost died?"

"Yes ma'am!" Haibara said, a kind of childishness to her tone that left Conan confused. "I thought some kind of killer was hiding on the park grounds! It was okay though because Conan-kun held my hand."

That didn't happen, Conan thought with a deadpan look.

"Conan-kun did, huh?" Yoko said. "I guess it's nice to see a young man protecting his lady."

"Oh no, me and Conan don't like each other, not like that," Haibara said. "I like Mitsuhiko-kun instead."

"Mitsuhiko-kun?" Yoko said. "Does he know?"

"Oh no, I haven't told him yet, but one day I'm gonna marry him," Haibara said.

"Well, I hope that one day the two of you make a cute couple," Yoko said.

Conan tapped Nancy on the shoulder to get her attention, and then signaled non-audibly. Nancy handed him her flip phone. He typed up a text message with no recipient and handed it to Haibara. It read _What r u doing_.

She erased the text. "Higo-san, is _Dandelion_ still your favourite song?"

"Yup, it still is."

"In the whole wide world?!" she said excitedly.

"It's my favourite song in the world," Ryusuke said.

Meanwhile, Haibara typed up a message in response and handed the phone to Conan. It read: _Ran's idea, I'll explain later. For now, play along. Act like a normal kid and join the conversation._

Conan deleted the text and turned the phone off.

"What are you guys up to back there?" Yoko asked.

"Oh, uh, we're just looking at some pictures Nancy took on her phone," Conan lied.

"Nice flip phone," Yoko said. "Didn't that belong to Ran-chan?"

"Y-yeah," Conan said, a bit uncomfortable with where this was going.

After about fifteen minutes had passed…

"Higo-san, Yoko-san, I have to go to the bathroom," Conan said, a whiny tone in his voice that Nancy would've thought was cute, had she not known that he was faking it.

"Uh, okay, there's a gas station about five minutes up the road," Higo said. "Can you hold it in until then?"

Conan nodded reluctantly.

 **Scene Transition**

"Hi, this is Pizza Hut. May I take your order?"

"Line Zero," Conan said. "I need you to open it for me."

"What's the password?"

" _Adler_."

"…Okay, just hold on for a few seconds."

Conan hung up, counted to five, and called Elena Miyano.

"Yes, Kudo-kun?" she answered.

"I don't have a lot of time, so I'll be brief," Conan said. "Me, Ran, and Shiho are riding in a car with Yoko Okino. As children, of course."

"Right now?!" Elena exclaimed. "You think she's deaf or something?!"

"Well, I'm taking a bathroom break right now," Conan said. "Ran's waiting at the door to make sure that Yoko-san can't eavesdrop on me. Anyways, what should I do?"

"Are your lives in danger right now?" Elena asked.  
"I'm not sure," Conan said. "Probably not at this time. But that's not why I'm calling. I think that this is a great opportunity to slip a bug on the Boss. What do you…?"

"No," Elena answered.

"No?"

"You heard me. You will do nothing that puts my daughter's life at risk. I've known that she was the Boss for quite some time, so I've always been in a position to bug her. I don't need you for that. Hang up, get back in the car, and don't do anything rash. Will that be all?"

"…Yeah. Goodbye, Elena-san."

Conan hung up and left the bathroom. Nancy entered after him (it was a unisex bathroom).

 **Scene Transition**

"Is it a word three letters or more in length?" Conan asked.

"Yup," Ryusuke said. "You've got nineteen questions remaining."

"Is it a kind of animal?" Haibara asked.

"No," Ryusuke said. "Eighteen questions."

"Is it alive?" Yoko asked.

"No," Ryusuke said. "Seventeen questions."

"Is it an electronic device?" Haibara asked.

"No. Sixteen questions remain."

"Is it something you eat?" Conan asked.

"Nope," Ryusuke said with a grin. "Fifteen."

Yoko smiled. "Is it something you drink?"

"Dang it," Ryusuke said playfully. "Yes it is. Fourteen questions."

"Is it an alcohol?" Conan asked.

"Yes," Ryusuke said. "Thirteen."

Suddenly, everyone in the car was somber as though they were attending a funeral. Nobody dared to speak, but then finally…

"Is it…Rum?" Conan asked meekly.

Yoko shot a fierce look at Ryusuke.

Ryusuke chuckled, perhaps even a bit nervously, Conan thought. "Nope. It isn't Rum. Twelve."

"Is it a kind of wine?" Haibara asked, knowing that if he said yes then Sherry would be a possible answer.

"No," Ryusuke said. "Eleven questions remain."

"Is it a kind of beer?" Nancy asked.

"Yes," Ryusuke said. "Ten questions remain."

The tension in the car immediately faded away.

"Is it a Japanese beer?" Conan asked.

"Nope. Nine questions."

"Budweiser?" Haibara asked.

"Nope. Eight questions remain."

"Is it Heineken?" Yoko asked.

"We have a winner!" Ryusuke said. He gave Yoko a high-five.

"Seriously though, Higo-kun, you don't need to be talking about beer when children are around," Yoko said. "You don't want to be a bad influence, do you?"

"No, I suppose not," Ryusuke said. "In all fairness though, Mouri-san likes to drink beer."

"Ah, you mean uncle Kogoro?" Conan said. "He stopped drinking ever since auntie Eri moved back in."

"Really?" Ryusuke said. "I didn't know that!"

"Neither did I," Yoko said. "Conan-kun, Nancy-kun, give my regards to Mouri-san for getting back together with Eri-san. I wish the two of them a happy life together."

"We'll tell him," Nancy said cheerfully. "And I'm sure he'll be happy to hear it."

This game of Twenty Questions, Conan thought. Was it intended to gauge our reactions? Are the Men in Black trying to determine our true identities? Is Higo-san also with the Men in Black?

 **Scene Transition**

Finally, the car drove into the parking space for the apartment where Yoko lived.

"So I guess this is your stop," Ryusuke said.

"Yes, thanks for taking me today," Yoko said. "Uh, listen. You can head on back to Osaka if you want. I'll drive these three kids home in my own car."

"Thanks," Ryusuke said.

As Nancy got out, she noticed that Conan had taken a piece of chewing gum out of his mouth.

They all got out and Ryusuke began the long drive back to Osaka.

Yoko turned to the three children. "If you'll excuse me for a moment, I'm heading upstairs to my apartment to use the bathroom and grab my keys. Then we'll go. Does that sound okay with you?"

Conan nodded.

As soon as Yoko left…

"Tell me what's going on," Conan said.

"It was my plan," Nancy said. "The last thing That Person would expect Sherry to do would be to ask to ride in the same car as her. To our knowledge she doesn't know about the shrinking effects of that drug, so she can't be sure that Ai-chan is Sherry. Thus, by acting like a normal child who isn't afraid of her, she can eliminate Yoko-san's suspicions and cause her to conclude that Ai-chan simply bears a strong resemblance to Shiho Miyano. Plus, if she did plan on killing us, she'd do so without the children and the Professor being collateral damage, since we rode separate from them."

"I see," Conan said.

"Your turn," Haibara said. "During that so-called bathroom break earlier, were you talking to the FBI, or with my mother?"

"Your mother," Conan answered. "I asked her permission to put a bug on Yoko-san. She said no."

"But you did place a bug in that car," Haibara said. "I saw it."

"Yeah," Conan said. "After that game we played, I'm thinking that maybe Higo-san is affiliated with the Black Organisation."

"T-that's ridiculous!" Haibara said. "Higo-san is an exemplary human being!"

"So was Yoko-san, or so we thought," Conan said. "If we've learned anything at all in this past year, it's that we can't judge a person by their outward appearance. Haibara, I understand how hard this may be for you, but you have to be willing to consider that possibility."

"Fine then, listen in on his private life if you want," Haibara said. "You won't find anything."

"I hope you're right," Conan said. "Really, I do."

"I'm back!" Yoko called out, holding a set of car keys in her hand.

 **Scene Transition**

And so, the three of them ended up riding in a car driven by the Boss of the Black Organisation.

Nancy was asking Yoko about her favourite frozen yogurt flavour. Meanwhile, Haibara was sweating profusely.

"Hey," Conan whispered. "This must be terrifying for you, but I know that you can do it. You're a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for. Plus, me and Ran will be with you this whole time, until you can safely go back home to the Professor's house."

Haibara looked Conan in the eye, something that for whatever reason had a calming effect on her. "Thank you."

"Excuse me while I make a phone call," Yoko said.

She tapped in a series of numbers, pushed Call, and put the phone to her ear.

She grinned evilly. "Gin, it is I. I have a…package for you. A lovely present. The best anybody could ever get you…That's right. It's the girl, Sherry."

That last sentence rang in Haibara's ears like a gunshot.

So this is how it ends, she thought. They know. They've made the connection between Shiho Miyano and Ai Haibara. And The Boss is bringing me to my executioner now. I can no longer hide in plain sight; my only option now is to run, and to hope that they spare those people I care about. She's bringing Kudo-kun and Ran-chan as well, so does that mean…that they're going to be killed by Gin as well? No witnesses. That's how the Men in Black operate. But does that also mean…? No. The Professor, Mitsuhiko-kun, Ayumi-chan, and Genta-kun will probably be killed as well. No witnesses, after all. I guess there's only one thing I can do, one final gambit.

How fortunate that the Professor gave me one of his stun-gun wristwatches, Haibara thought. I've only got one chance at this. If I can knock her out, then we can call the FBI and have her taken far away, where she can't tell any of her associates what she knows.

She raised her arm so as to aim, but then…

Conan reached over, grabbed her hand, and shook his head. He looked her in the eye, and she knew in that moment she could trust him to get them out of this safely. So she put her hands in her pockets, not knowing what else to do with them.

The car pulled into an empty lot.

"Yoko-san, what are we doing here?" Haibara asked in an innocent voice. "This isn't my house, or the Mouri residency."

"…Whoops, my bad," Yoko said. "I was distracted, so I ended up going the wrong way. I pulled in here so I could turn around."

A wave of relief washed over Haibara.

So I…passed her test? she thought. I didn't run away in fear or attack her, so was that enough to prove to her that I'm not Sherry?

She looked at Conan and Nancy. They smiled and nodded approvingly.

Nicely done, Haibara, Conan thought. "By the way, Yoko-san, what did you mean when you were talking to your friend on the phone about a girl named Sherry?"

"Huh?" Yoko said innocently. "Did I really mention a girl? I guess I didn't notice. It's my friend's birthday today, so I got him some expensive Sherry wine."

Conan, Nancy, and Haibara were satisfied by that answer.

 **Scene Transition**

Conan and Nancy opened the door and stepped inside. Eri was on the phone talking with one of her clients. She saw them and ended the call.

"I thought you two weren't gonna get back until tonight," Eri said.

"It rained, so we cut the trip short," Conan lied.

Ran's mother nodded. "Well, now that you're home, I guess I can have you do some chores around the house."

 **Scene Transition**

Conan was dusting the baseboards while Nancy sprayed and cleaned the bathrooms sinks.

I'd better check up on Haibara, he thought.

 **Scene Transition**

"Ey youse, watcha tink youze doin' to MY Kazuha, huh?!"

That must be Kudo-kun, Haibara thought. She got up from her homework desk and answered the phone.

"Hey," Conan said. "I just called to make sure you were alright."

"I'm fine," Haibara said. "The Professor's in the kitchen trying to perfect a new brownie recipe. I really appreciate you calling though. By the way, how did you know it was a trick? Yoko-san's call, that was."

"Oh, I heard a beeping noise coming from her phone the whole time until she hung up," Conan said. "Whoever she called evidently never picked up; my guess is she called her own house phone. And she was talking a bit loud. Way too loud. If she really wanted you dead, she'd speak softly, or perhaps she'd just send Gin a text message instead. It was an obvious ruse, and I'm honestly a bit surprised that you didn't pick up on that."

"Are you saying I'm stupid?"

"What? No! I…"

"Goodbye."

 **Scene Transition**

Women, Conan thought with a deadpan look.

He continued dusting, listening in on what the bug picked up through an earpiece. So far, it had just picked up the sound of the radio and Ryusuke singing to himself obnoxiously.

Maybe he really is innocent, Conan thought.

Just then, the bug picked up the sound of Ryusuke's phone ringing.

And then, Conan heard the four words that he hoped for Haibara's sake he'd never hear from that man's mouth:

"Hello? This is Rum."


	3. Chapter 3

"Hello? This is Rum."

"Hello Rum. It's me, Merlot."

M-Merlot?! Conan thought.

"I'm calling to inform you that the key's ready. It's been delivered to your home."

"Very well," Ryusuke/Rum said. "I'll pick it up as soon as I drive back to Osaka."

"Where are you now?"

"Oh, I'm in Tokyo. I was dropping off Cabernet Sauvignon and some kids."

"Kids?"

"Uh, yeah. Cabernet Sauvignon and I were at a national park filming for my show. Some kids were there, so I gave them a ride home."

"…I see. Keep up the good work then. That will be all, and good luck with tomorrow's big mission."

Big…mission? Conan thought.

The line went dead.

Nancy finished cleaning the bathroom sink. She walked out into the hall to see Conan just standing there, staring out into space.

"Hey."

"It's him," Conan said.

"You're going to have to be more specific."

"Ryusuke Higo is Rum."

"Wait, for real?!" Nancy said.

"Yeah. I just heard him talking on the phone with an agent called Merlot," Conan said. "He said something about Rum having a big mission tomorrow. Something involving a key."

"…Are you going to tell Ai-chan?" Nancy asked.

"No," Conan answered decidedly. "Not until the event where it becomes absolutely necessary to do so. I think it's best that she continues to think highly of her hero. You won't tell her either, right?"

"I guess not," Nancy said. "So, what's your next move?"

 **Scene Transition**

 _"_ _Ah, Yoko-chan! Over here!"_

 _The girl, Iroha Namiki, waved to her classmate. The young girl and future pop star walked across the schoolyard to meet with her friends._

 _"_ _Yoko-chan, Rina-ojousama was just showing us her tattoo!" Iroha said excitedly._

 _"_ _Ehh?! But doesn't that go against the school dress code?" Yoko said.  
"Exactly!" one of the girls interjected._

 _"_ _Huh? Yoko?" Rina Kurashima, an older girl with a long skirt, said. "What's up? You're not wearing the makeup I let you borrow?"_

(Author's Note: Among Japanese teenage girls, there exists a delinquent subculture characterised in part by unauthorised modifications to their school's dress code, which includes increasing skirt length. The leader of such girl gangs is called a Sukeban.)

 _"_ _No thank you," Yoko said, handing over a tube of lipstick and a thingamajig containing eyeliner. "It irritates my face when I wear it, and my mom doesn't approve of me using it."_

 _Rina laughed haughtily. "Yoko, my dear, you'll never get a boyfriend with an attitude like that."_

 _"_ _Rina-ojousama, look! It's that new girl we were telling you about!"_

 _Haruka Natsuba sat down at a table and took a pumpernickel bagel with a cream cheese spread out of her backpack. She also took out a brownie._

 _Haruka was a girl who had recently transferred to Kohnan Middle School after her family moved to the area from Gunma. Her most striking feature, however, was her weight. She weighed forty two pounds more than Yoko, though the two of them were roughly the same age._

 _A giddy look on her face, Rina strolled over to Haruka's table, and her gang of girls followed._

 _"_ _Hey there," Rina said, almost in a singsong voice. "Why are you eating lunch by yourself?"_

 _"_ _Dunno," Haruka said, without making eye contact. "I'm just eating lunch, I guess."_

 _"_ _You look lonely," Rina said. "Whoops, I forgot to introduce myself. Hi, I'm Rina. Would you like to join our club?"_

 _"_ _Wait boss, what?"_

 _Rina shushed her associate before she could spoil it._

 _Haruka's face lit up. "Wow! You really mean it?"_

 _"_ _Sure," Rina said. "Oh, but first things first. To get into our club you first must go through the initiation ritual. Come to my house on Saturday at 2 o'clock. We'll be waiting."_

 _Then they walked away as a group, leaving Haruka to eat her lunch in peace._

 _"_ _Yo, uh, Rina-ojousama, what was that? You really want to let that whale into our group?"_

 _"_ _Just shup up and listen, Chiaki," Rina said. "This won't be much fun if we just come right out and start teasing her. I've got a plan to make this a lot more entertaining. I'll tell you guys later."_

There was a knock on the door, taking Yoko out of her thoughts. She got up and answered it.

Standing there was Tooru Amuro.

He was holding flowers.

"Happy anniversary, Yoko," Tooru/Rei said. "Today marks a month since we began our relationship."

They smooched real fast and Rei stepped inside. They sat down on the couch next to the fireplace. Rei put his arm around Yoko.

"So," he said. "I hear you've got Rum and Kir set for a big mission tomorrow?"

"Yes, well, they're getting me a present," Yoko said.

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"A T-14 Armata, one of the most advanced tanks in the world."

"Mm, I guess these flowers can't quite compare with that," Rei said.

They both giggled…and then they began to make out on that couch.

 **Scene Transition**

"You did WHAT?!"

Conan had to hold the phone away from his face because Elena was just that loud.

"A-anyways, you don't want to hear what I found out?" Conan asked.

Elena sighed over the phone. "What is it?"

"First of all, get this: Ryusuke Higo is Rum."

"…I already knew that."

Huh? Conan thought. She did?!

"Kudo-kun, my spies within the Organisation are very good at what they do. That wasn't why I wanted you to join them."

"Oh, uh, also, have you heard of an Agent named Merlot?"

"Yes, I've heard that name before. He's a member of the Council, perhaps even the second highest ranking member of the Organisation. After the Boss, of course."

"Well, uh, he was the person talking to Rum," Conan said. "They said something about a 'big mission' tomorrow. Did you know anything about that?"

"Yes, I did know that," Elena said. "They're trying to steal a tank."

"…Need I even ask?"

"No, I probably shouldn't have even told you that much. Do not interfere with Rum's mission, because you don't understand the situation, and I don't want to tell you what I'm planning in case they're listening in. Tomorrow, just stick to your normal routine. Since I mentioned a tank, you should be able to figure out pretty quickly that it will involve tomorrow's weapons fair."

"Weapons…fair?"

"Global Arms Expo, 2019," Elena explained. "An annual event where defense contractors from around the world show off their products. It's taking place in Hokkaido this year, more specifically at the Shigeru Yoshida Exhibition Center, and it starts tomorrow. I'm only going to say this once: stay away from that event, you and your loved ones. Don't try to be a hero. Not this time, anyway. Do you understand me?"

"…Yeah," Conan said.

"Give me your word, that you won't interfere."

"I give you my word that, as long as innocent people or those I care about aren't put in harm's way, I won't interfere. That's the best I'll give you."

"I'd be disappointed by anything more," Elena said with a smirk. "Okay, listen. I just told you not to interfere with tomorrow's mission, but I'd appreciate it if you could remove the listening device from Ryusuke Higo's car as soon as possible, before he has a chance to discover it."

"I understand. Goodbye."

 **Scene Transition**

Conan hung up. He gripped the phone hard and then threw it across the room in a fit of rage.

"I take it she told you something that you didn't want to hear," Nancy said, having finished dusting in Conan's place.

"There's a big mission tomorrow, here in Japan," Conan said. "And Rum will be there. If I left right now, I could take a plane with the Professor and be present when it goes down. Despite all this, she just wants me to stay home and do nothing! Elena-san's keeping me on a really tight leash these days! She won't let me investigate anything on my own! I'm only supposed to act whenever it suits her plans."

"Wow, that must suck," Nancy said. "I mean, if I was a deduction maniac like you I'd think it sucks. I doubt throwing that phone did anything to help though."

"Well, it made me feel better," Conan said, and to be fair he did feel a little bit better now.

"So, are you just gonna ignore her and interfere anyway?"

Conan sighed. "No, I'm going to follow orders. Sometimes I forget just how much I owe that woman."

 **Scene Transition**

 **The Next Day**

At 10:00 AM the doors to the Shigeru Yoshida Exhibition Center opened, and thousands of people flooded the complex within the next few hours.

The exhibition center was located in the backwoods of Hokkaido, the perfect place for outdoor demonstrations of advanced weapon systems. Plus, it was the only place in Japan where a vehicle as heavy as the T-14 Armata, the metaphorical crown jewel of the event, could legally operate on the road.

Hidemi Hondou stood in the lobby of the exhibition center, a microphone in hand.

"Greetings! You may or may not know me as Mizunashi Rena, and I'm here today in Hokkaido Prefecture to cover the 2019 Global Arms Expo. I'm here with the cameraman and my assistant Kyohei Oda. Kyohei-kun, say hi."

She grabbed the camera from her associate and turned it around. Kyohei had a somewhat glazed look in his eyes, and he waved stupidly to the camera. She handed it back to him.

"Anyways, we're hoping to see a lot of really cool military hardware here today," Hidemi said, practically shouting to rise above the noise level of the flocks of people all around her. "The first event is, uh…"

She looked at her copy of the event guide booklet. "Live fire demonstration of Norinco's ZH-05 assault rifle/grenade launcher weapon at 10:30, along with a commissioned People's Liberation Army officer explaining its capabilities and price tag in comparison to similar infantry weapon systems fielded by other armies. But first, we're going to check out some of the hardware on display."

 **Scene Transition**

 _"_ _What kind of test is it?" Haruka asked._

 _"_ _Ritual," Rina corrected. "And you'll see in a minute."_

 _The pack of girls filled the attic of Rina's home._

 _Yoko and Iroha were both feeling uneasy._

 _"…_ _Hey, you want to leave?" Yoko asked. And she could tell that Iroha was considering it._

 _Yoko and Iroha had been the best of friends for several years. Both hung out with Rina's gang because it was the cool thing to do, and neither of them wanted to be uncool. But at the same time, neither one of them felt okay about the stunt Rina was about to pull._

 _"_ _Alrighty then," Rina said. "Haruka-chan, just step on that scale if you will."_

 _Haruka hesitated for a second but then did as she was told._

 _Rina looked at the reading on the scale. "Huuuuuhhhh?! 145 pounds?!"_

 _All of the girls in her gang, save Yoko and Iroha, started laughing scornfully._

 _Haruka was on the verge of tears by this point. "…So am I allowed in your group?"_

 _"_ _Haruka, my dear, to be a member of my group you can only weigh a maximum weight of, er, 120 pounds," Rina said, making that number up on the spot. "That means to get in you must lose 25 pounds."_

 _"_ _But that'll NEVER happen, right?!" one of the girls mocked._

 _"_ _I bet she ate ten donuts for breakfast!" another said. "What a pig!"_

 _Haruka finally had enough. "You guys are mean!" She ran downstairs._

 _Yoko and Iroha could hardly believe what just happened._

 _Rina, meanwhile, noticed that two members of her group hadn't joined in. "Yoko, Iroha, what's wrong? You didn't think that was funny?"_

 _"_ _N-no, not really," Yoko said._

 _"_ _Oh, I get what this is," Rina said. "You two can go back to playing with dolls by yourselves, like wittle babies, if you aren't mature enough to handle this kind of stuff."_

 _Iroha and Yoko were silent._

 _"…_ _I thought it was pretty funny," Iroha said reluctantly. "Haha."_

 _"_ _That's the spirit," Rina said. "How about you, Yoko?"_

 _Yoko gulped, looked down at her feet, turned her back to Rina, and walked down the stairs._

 _"_ _If this is what you want, that's fine with me!" Rina called out. "Go hang out with that tub of lard if you want! Maybe she'll share some of her brownies, and you'll end up fat too!"_

 _Yoko ran outside and somehow managed to catch up with Haruka._

 _"_ _I'm so sorry," Yoko said. "Don't listen to them, they're just being mean."_

 _"_ _Do you…think I'm a pig?" Haruka said, sniffling._

 _"_ _No," Yoko said. "What I see is a normal girl, just like me, who happens to weigh a little more than usual. You might be plus-sized, but all that matters is that you've got a plus-sized heart, right?"_

 _"_ _Thanks," Haruka said, feeling a little bit better now._

 _"_ _Come on, we can hang out at my place." She extended her hand. "Hi, I'm Yoko Okino."_

 _Haruka shook it and smiled. "Hi Yoko, I'm Haruka Natsuba, and I'm glad you're my new best friend."_

 **Scene Transition**

"Ah, Nancy-san!"

Mitsuhiko approached Nancy at recess. She and Conan were sitting on the bench.

"Uh, hey," Mitsuhiko said. "Do you know where Haibara-san is?"

"No," Nancy said. "I take it you started on show last night?"

"I did!" Mitsuhiko said. "The first two, in fact, and I'd like to find Haibara-san so that the two of us can..."

"Shh!" Conan hissed. "I'm trying to listen!

"Uh…" Mitsuhiko stammered.

Nancy signaled to Mitsuhiko to stop talking, and to not ask questions.

"…Yeah, everything's going smoothly so far," Ryusuke/Rum said. "I'm just stepping out for a few minutes to take a lunch break in my car."

Rum was sitting in the back of his car, so that he'd have space to lay his food down on as he ate.

But then he noticed something, out of the corner of his eye. He bent over, touched it, and…

"A piece of gum?" he wondered out loud.

"N-no!" Conan shouted, panicky. Mitsuhiko was left scratching his head.

"What the H*LL is this?!" Ryusuke said. "Boss, emergency! There's a bug in my car!…No, I'm not talking about an insect! I mean a listening device!...Well, the only people in my car lately were you, Kir, and those kids…Wait, you mean to say it was one of them?...Well, it was that Conan kid, right? You don't mean to imply that he's…Huh? You're gonna do what?...Well, I suppose it's possible someone put him up to it. But who?...Shinichi…Kudo? That guy? You really think he asked the kid to put that bug in there? But how could he have known that we were gonna be there at that park? It's not like the kid keeps a listening device around with him just in case Kudo wants him to stick it somewhere…Huh? You're saying that he might be Kudo?! What the h**l, Boss?! He's a kid, for crying out loud! I've met Kudo, and he ain't no kid, that's for sure. He's what, just two years younger than me?...Drug? Oh, you mean that killer pill Sherry made?...What do you mean by 'unknown side effects?' You mean to say that pill might be able to shrink people?...Huh? That girl, Ai-kun…you thought she looked just like Sherry? Well, I suppose they did look a lot alike…That Conan kid and Kudo too, huh? Well, yeah, I guess. A lot of people look like someone else. The other day I saw a kid who looked like my cousin when he was little…Well, you're the Boss…Yeah, okay, I'll have someone come pick up the piece of gum and have it analysed for saliva…Uh, no, not…Dunno, I was busy talking to you, and in any case for all we know the bug could've been placed weeks ago, in which case it wouldn't still be…Fine. I'll get rid of it now."

Three seconds later, the line went dead. Conan knew that Ryusuke/Rum had destroyed the listening device. Frustrated, he took the earbuds out and threw them on the ground.

"Hey, what happened?" Nancy asked.

"They're onto me," Conan said. "And I think I've got a pretty good idea what they're gonna do next."

"…Do you plan on running?" Nancy asked.

"…No," Conan said. "I don't think that'll be necessary. Mitsuhiko, when the time comes, I'm gonna need you to do something for me."

"Uh, what's going on?" Mitsuhiko asked.

"I can't tell you that," Conan said. "There are some things in this world that I can't tell you, Ayumi-chan, or Genta. I hope that one day things will be different, and I'll be able to tell you everything, but until that day, you just going to have to trust me. No, rather, I need you to trust me when I say it's extremely important that you follow my instructions to the letter, no matter how embarrassing those instructions are. Do you trust me, Mitsuhiko?"

Mitsuhiko hesitated but then nodded. "Yeah. I trust you, Conan. So what do I do?"

 **Scene Transition**

It was now around 2:00 PM. Twenty minutes prior, the T-14 had rolled into the center's hangar bay, waiting for a live fire demonstration of its main guns tomorrow.

"Now, it's time for a special first look at the centerpiece of the expo," Hidemi said. 'The T-14 Armata tank. With us today is Aleksiy Kuznetsov, and with him is Junpei Kazetani, who'll serve as our Japanese-Russian translator here today. Aleksiy, can you tell us about yourself real fast?"

"Uh, yes," Aleksiy said after hearing Junpei restating the question in Russian. "I was in the Russian army from the mid-1990s until 2010. Since then, I've found work with UralVagonZavod, the company that produces the T-14, as well as the world-renowned T-90. I'm here today to tell you about its capabilities."

He paused and waited for Junpei to finish translating.

"The T-14 Armata is arguably the most advanced tank in the world right now," Aleksiy continued. "Its cutting-edge weapon systems are about 20 years ahead of those used by the NATO alliance currently. Its main armament is the 2A82-1M, a 125mm smoothbore gun that's 20% more powerful than the Rheinmetall 120mm gun, which equips Germany's Leopard 2 and America's Abrams M1A1. It's also capable of firing advanced sabot rounds and guided missiles."

He stopped and let Junpei finish translating.

"It has superb defensive capabilities as well," Aleksiy continued. "Its armor is more than capable of protecting it against advanced NATO anti-tank weapons. It's also equipped with advanced Explosive Reactive Armor."

"I must say, Mr. Kutznetsov," Hidemi said. "I stayed up last night doing my research on this, but I still don't quite understand the concept behind Explosive Reactive Armor. Would you mind explaining it to me and the viewers?"

"Certainly," Aleksiy said. "You see, virtually all anti-tank weapons work by piercing the tank's armor and destroying/killing whatever's behind the tank's outer shell. Explosive Reactive Armor, or ERA for short, usually consists of 'bricks' that are attached to the outside of the tank. These so-called bricks are filled with explosives. When they're hit by an anti-tank round, they explode and exert a force that pushes back against the incoming round, preventing it from piercing the tank's armor. All of this is, of course, assuming that the anti-tank round in question could even hit the T-14." He chuckled.

"I'm sorry sir, what exactly do you mean?"

"Well, the T-14 is equipped with the _Afghanit_ Active Protection System. Allow me to explain what that is. The tank's got a radar, and this radar keeps watch over the tank's surrounding to make sure that there aren't any incoming enemy projectiles. Whenever such a projectile is detected, the tank sends out its own projectiles to destroy it. It can neutralise threats coming in as fast as Mach 5. And despite all these features, the tank moves faster than America's M1A1. And it isn't just a powerhouse; it's a smart tank. Its turret is automated, and it's got camera coverage on all sides of it."

"Oh my!" Hidemi said. "Uh, if it's alright with you, could you, uh, show me and the viewers a little demonstration of the T-14 in action?"

"A…demonstration?"

"I just mean like you could drive it out of the hangar over there and drive it around for us a little bit."

Aleksiy nodded. "Very well." He began speaking communicating with his Russian associates.

They walked over to the shed that housed the tank.

"Uh, if you could not point the camera this way for a moment," Aleksiy said.

Hidemi signaled to Kyohei and he pointed the camera elsewhere. Then, Aleksiy inserted the four-digit PIN into the electronic lock. The shed door unlocked and he swung it wide open. He then stepped inside, took a key out of his pocket, and undid the padlock for the tank hatch. He got inside and begin the procedure to start the tank.

It came to life with a roar, and then a few seconds later it began to proceed forward.

"Kyohei-kun, are you getting this?" Hidemi asked.

"Ooh, pretty," Kyohei said stupidly.

The tank rolled out of the shed. Aleksiy drove it around the block and then came back. He stopped the tank, climbed out, and proceeded to put the padlock back on.

"So what do you think?" he asked.

"Marvelous!" Hidemi said. "I can certainly see why they call it the…Kyohei-kun, what are you doing?"

Kyohei had put the camera, and he was stumbling towards the tank.

"I wanna ride," he mumbled. "Nice big tank. I wanna ride."

"What the h**l are you doing?" Aleksiy demanded. He instinctively put the key in his pocket to prevent this guy from trying to steal it.

Kyohei tripped over his own legs, and Aleksiy caught him.

"W-what…is he retarded?!" Aleksiy said angrily.

"Uh, I'm terribly sorry about my colleague's behaviour," Hidemi said. "He's an excellent cameraman, when he's sober."

"You mean to say that he's drunk?!" Aleksiy said.

Hidemi nodded reluctantly. "Me and him had a little bit to drink earlier, and he apparently had a much lower tolerance to alcohol than I expected. Anyhow, we got the footage, so we're good. Thank you for the brief demonstration."

Aleksiy got Kyohei off of him, and the drunk cameraman stumbled back on over to where Hidemi was standing. Then, Aleksiy briefly took the key back out of his pocket to make sure it was still there, and then he smiled. "No problem. I hope you and your drunk friend enjoy the rest of this Expo, and that he doesn't lose his job over this."

"We will, and he won't. Bye."

 **Scene Transition**

 _Iroha was woken from unconsciousness by someone shaking her on the shoulder. She opened her eyes, put her glasses on, and looked. That person was…_

 _"_ _Yoko?" she said._

 _"_ _You've been avoiding me for nearly two weeks," Yoko said. "I've tried talking to you, but you wouldn't give me a chance. So here I am."_

 _"…_ _What do you want to talk about?"_

 _"_ _Tell me why," Yoko said. "I mean, we're friends, aren't we?"_

 _Iroha sighed. "It's Rina-ojousa…I mean, Rina. She said that if I so much as say hi to you, they'll do to me what they're doing to you now."_

 _Yoko had become the subject of taunting and even some cyberbullying at the hands of Rina and her gang ever since she had befriended Haruka two weeks ago._

 _"_ _So we're no longer friends because Rina says so?" Yoko said. "Is that it?"_

 _"_ _Yeah," Iroha said reluctantly. "Look, Yoko, I'm in Rina's group. That's where the cool kids are. You understand why I don't want to give that up, right?"_

 _Yoko was silent._

 _"_ _It isn't too late for you," Iroha said. "I mean, you're really pretty, and smart. You're the kind of person Rina wants in her group. I think that, if you apologise to Rina and stop hanging out with that girl Haruka, she'll let you back in."_

 _"…_ _It's more than that, isn't it?" Yoko said. "Rina would expect me to join her and her gang in bullying Haruka-chan."_

 _"_ _I'm sorry, but sometimes life doesn't give us a choice," Iroha said._

 _"_ _Yes, it does," Yoko said. "We always have a choice, and I choose not to take part in bullying Haruka-chan. I'm sorry I bothered coming, it won't happen again."_

 _"_ _Yoko…"_

 _Yoko went to the window and began climbing back down._

 **Scene Transition**

It was nighttime.

Two security guards, employees of the RSB Group (a Russian security company assigned to safeguard the T-14 tank during the Expo), had been knocked out and tied up.

Kir had told him the PIN, and he inserted it, allowing him to unlock the door and enter the shed. He took the key out of his pocket and removed the padlock on the tank hatch. Next to the tank was a wooden crate filled with armaments for the tank, planned for use at tomorrow's live fire demonstration.

Kyohei Oda was Mizunashi Rena's assistant cameraman. For the purpose of this operation it had been vital for Rum to assume his identity.

On the night prior to the opening of the Expo event, Kir had Kyohei stay up very late into the night completing some work-related task. The next morning, Hidemi took her cameraman colleague out to for some drinks; she convinced him it was okay, and he had something of a crush on her, so having a few drinks with her was something of a dream come true for him. For the purpose of the operation it was vital that Kir remained more or less in control of her mental and bodily capacities, so ahead of time she took a drug called Dihydromyricetin, which prevented her from getting drunk even after several rounds of beer. She got him to drink way too much beer, to the point where he couldn't stand…or remain conscious. As soon as he was out, Hidemi took him to their hotel room in Hokkaido, turned all the lights off, and closed the curtains, ensuring that he'd stay out. Then, Rum disguised as Kyohei and the two of them went to cover the Expo when it began. Of course, Rum acted like he was inebriated.

Merlot, a former Russian naval officer, had some involvement in the transport of the tank from Russia to Japan, so he was able to take a good look at the padlock key and forge a look-alike. He had the look-alike key given to Rum, and during the "first look" interview, when Rum stumbled in the arms of Aleksiy Kutsnetsov, he used that opportunity to slip the key out of Kutsnetsov's pocket and replace it with the look-alike. Later, Kyohei would wake up with a raging hangover, and Hidemi would be there to greet him. She'd show him the footage and convince him that he apparently spent all day covering the Expo while drunk, with no later memory of the events in question. Kir told Rum that she planned on taking her colleague out to dinner that night, so as to give him an alibi and keep him out of trouble.

Rum had studied the schematics of the T-14 tank carefully, so he knew how to start it. He did, and…

Crap, he thought. It's only half full. That meant I'll only be able to get about 150 miles out of it before it runs out of juice. Oh well, I don't need to take it very far anyway.

He took his phone out of his pocket and called Yoko.

"You have it?" she asked.

"Yeah, I just started it up," he said. "Uh, it's only about half full of gas. That won't be a problem, will it?"

"No, I don't think so," Yoko said. "Listen up, leave the Expo grounds and head east for about 20 miles, until you see a little road with a 'Private Property' sign. Turn into that road, drive straight for about half a mile, and you'll find yourself in an airstrip in the middle of the woods. There should be an Ilyushin Il-96 transport plane waiting there, along with Gin and Vodka. You got all that?"

"Leave Expo grounds, head east until I hit a side road marked by a private property sign, then keep going until it leads me to an airstrip with a plane, and Gin and Vodka will be there. Got it."

Yoko did not realise, however, that her new boyfriend standing a few feet away from her had his phone on and was letting CIA Agent Hidemi Hondou listen in on the entire conversation.

Ryusuke/Rum hung up and then drove off in one of the world's deadliest vehicles.

Oh boy, what a joyride this is gonna be! he thought with glee. It isn't often that a guy gets to steal a tank.

 **Scene Transition**

"You got all that?" Hidemi asked.

"Yeah," Yoshiteru said. "Hang on 'cause it's gonna be a bumpy ride!"

In the span of three seconds he turned the shift stick to Drive and did a U-turn, and the car took off like a speeding bullet.

 **Scene Transition**

The tank turned took the lonely night-time side path until Rum could see it at last: the airstrip. It was paved, and it was long enough for a big plane to take off from. The plane was there, and its ramp was let down for the tank to roll into the plane through.

He parked the tank without turning it off, and he got out. He looked around.

What the…? he thought.

He could see two cars: Kirs, and Gin's.

That can't be right, he thought. Didn't Kir say that she…?

Kir descended from the ramp.

"What are you doing here?" Rum asked. "I thought Gin was going to meet me here."

"He's in the cockpit," Kir lied.

"I'd like to talk with him for a second," Rum said, suspecting that something was up.

"We don't have time for that," Kir said. "The police could be on their way any second. We've got to leave now. So hurry up and load the tank onto the…"

"I'm not loading anything until I talk with Gin," Rum said.

Kir sighed. "He knows!"

She pulled out a handgun and pointed it at Gin. Then, Yoshiteru also descended from the plane, holding an M4 Carbine.

Rum smirked. "So it was you all along, huh, Kir? The traitor, I mean."

"Yeah, that's right," Kir said with a grin. "My name, by the way, is not Mizunashi Rena. It's Hidemi Hondou, father of the late Ethan Hondou."

"We're with the Central Intelligence Agency," Yoshiteru said. "And you, good sir, have fallen right into our trap. The jig's up, Rum, or should I say…Ryusuke Higo?"

Rum took his mask off, revealing himself to indeed be the young soccer star. "How did you know?"

"We had an informant," Hidemi said. "A witness you Men in Black thought was long dead. His name is Kohji Haneda."

H-huh…? Ryusuke thought.

"He told us everything," Yoshiteru said. "About the true meaning behind his dying message."

"True meaning?" Ryusuke repeated. "We already know the meaning of that message. _U MASCARA_ , which can be rearranged as _ASACA RUM_. What more is there to tell?"

"Wrong," Yoshiteru said. "That's what he wanted you to think. You see, while that was a valid rearrangement of the letters in question, another combination was _SACA RAMU_. In Romaji, 'sakka' is the Japanese rendering of the American English 'soccer', the sport which here in Japan is called football. 'Ramu' is, of course, Rum. So another interpretation of Kohji Haneda's dying message was 'Soccer Rum'. He knew that, because the message supposedly implicated Amanda Hughes' bodyguard, Asaka as Rum, the people determined to kill him would not tamper with the dying message. After all, what better way to distract the FBI than to lead them on a wild goose chase about Asaka being Rum? Simultaneously, Kohji was hoping that with time, the FBI would discover the true meaning behind his dying message…after which they would know that Rum was in fact your father, Tatsuyuki Higo. To further this end, he managed to obtain a passenger list from the flight that he and Rum took to America, as well as the flight that Rum used to return to Japan. On both lists would be the name Tatsuyuki Higo, which would give the FBI the kind of solid evidence they'd need to open an investigation into your father. This evidence was posted online, presumably on the same website which was designed to draw attention to that case from seventeen years ago."

"And here we are today," Hidemi said. "Over time, you inherited the mantle of Rum from your father, and only the top leadership of the Black Organisation even knows about the succession. Why was that? Whoops, silly me. I already know the answer to that question. Your father committed suicide many years back. However, the name Rum was powerful enough to bring chills down the spine of any Organisation member who had heard of him. It might even be said that the fear of Rum kept the Black Crows from defying the top leadership. That's why they feared letting it be known that he died. And so, they announced that Rum had been sent on a long mission overseas."

"Meanwhile, they secretly trained you to be his successor," Yoshiteru said. "You were taught well in the art of disguise, for which I can only assume Vermouth played no small role."

"A few months back, the top leadership decided the time was right to bring back Rum," Hidemi said. "I guess they decided that you were finally ready to inherit the codename of your father, to resume the myth of Rum. There's one thing we don't get, though. Your father did not have any sort of prosthetic eye, and neither do you. So where did that rumour come from?"

Rum burst out laughing. "You guys actually fell for that?! Wow, how just how much of your time was wasted searching for a man with a fake eye? And how many times did you pass up my father as a suspect because he had two perfectly normal eyes? I can only imagine. Oh boy…the CIA and FBI must be filled with morons, I guess."

"These 'morons' prepared a trap for you," Hidemi said. "A trap that you fell for. So if we're idiots, what does that make you?"

"I just have one question," Rum said. "Did you two come alone? I mean, unless you discovered this airstrip in advance you could only have figured out its location by monitoring my phone call with the Boss, in which case you wouldn't have had time to call in outside help. And I imagine that having a whole lot of government cars lying around near the Expo would've drawn a lot of attention, so your leaders decided against it."

"We don't need outside help to take you down," Yoshiteru said.

From the corner of his eye, Rum noticed that Gin and Vodka, who had regained consciousness, had neutralised Akai from his sniping position.

"Oh, I think you'd lose that bet," Rum said.

Gin and Vodka suddenly sprang on Hidemi and Yoshiteru from behind. While they were distracted, Ryusuke ran back into the tank and drove off.

"NO!" Yoshiteru said.

Gin and Vodka got into the black Porsche and drove off. Meanwhile, Rum turned the tank around and fired a shot at Hidemi's car, leveling it totally.

As Rum in his tank and Gin and Vodka in the Porsche were fleeing the scene, Yoshiteru angrily took his phone out and called Elena.

"Elena-san, I've got some bad news," Yoshiteru said. "He got away. I repeat, Rum got away."

There was silence for a solid ten seconds.

"…In the plane?"

"No, we made sure to disable the plane's engines to prevent that from happening. Rather, he made off in the tank."

"Well then, I guess the chase is on," Elena said. "We're gonna have to be at the top of our game tonight…because we are in hot pursuit of a demon in the darkness."


	4. Chapter 4

_Rina and her gang were hiding behind a large van in the parking lot._

 _"You sure Yoko's gonna show?" Rina asked impatiently._

 _"S-she said that she would!" Iroha said. "Just give her a little...ah! There she is!"_

 _Yoko and Haruka came from around a corner and began strolling by the strip mall._

 _"So what was it you wanted to show me?" Haruka asked._

 _"It's the second last store here," Yoko said._

 _"Wait, you don't mean...?"_

 _Yoko led Haruka in front of "Sumo Dojo", an outlet that offered sumo wrestling classes to obese children (something that Genta might've been interested in had he been alive at the time)._

 _"I found the perfect sport for you," Yoko said. "And you can get lessons here."_

 _"No, no," Haruka said, realising what Yoko was doing._

 _"I mean, let's face it," Yoko said. "You'll never be skinny. You'll never be beautiful. So you might as well embrace your fatness. But, um, even you don't seem quite fat enough to be a sumo wrestler. That's why I brought my friends, to help you with that. Guys! You can come on out!"_

 _Rina and her gang emerged from the corner, all of them holding really fattening foods._

 _Haruka didn't say anything, but that look on her face made it perfectly clear how she was feeling. The chubby girl raced away from the scene as fast as her legs would take her._

 _Rina's gang burst out laughing, loud enough for Haruka to hear as she was fleeing._

 _Rina high-fived Yoko. "You go, girl! I was beginning to think you were kind of lame, but you proved me wrong."_

 _"...So I'm cool enough to be in your club?" Yoko asked._

 _"Girl, you were always cool enough," Rina said._

 **Scene Transition**

 _Yukidoke no ano, kawa no naga_...

Yoko was taken out of her thoughts by the catchy ringtone, indicating a call from Rum.

"I take it the mission went off without a hitch?" she asked, more of an order than anything else.

"Wrong!" Ryusuke/Rum said. "It was a trap! Kir set us up!"

"K-Kir?" Yoko said. "You mean that she's...?"

"Yeah, she's been a traitor all along!" Ryusuke said. "I saw it all with my own two eyes! She was standing there, pointing a gun at my head, gloating about how the CIA had set up this trap for me!"

"Where were Gin and Vodka during this?" Yoko asked.

"They were temporarily incapacitated, but then they helped me escape."

"Incapacitated? You mean to say that Kir singlehandedly took out Gin and Vodka?"

"No, she had help," Ryusuke said. "There was this guy with a skull-ish face, and Shuichi Akai was there too."

Yoko suddenly found it difficult to breathe. Shuichi Akai was still alive?! But how?!

"Boss? You there? Hello?"

"...Yeah, I'm okay."

"What should I do next?" Ryusuke asked. "I did manage to make off with the tank, but I've only got like 150 miles on this thing before I'm out of juice, and doubtless there'll several spook cars on my tail in a few, maybe even a chopper or two. How do I proceed from here?"

"Just hold on," Yoko ordered. "I think Cognac can help us."

"Yeah? Weren't you going on earlier about how you don't trust that guy?"

"I don't see what choice we have," Yoko said. "Right now we need his brains. Can you hold off for twenty minutes?"

"I think I can handle twenty minutes, yeah."

"Okay, I'll get in touch with him. Good luck."

She hung up, and turned to Rei. "You got all that, right?"

Rei nodded. "You want me to find Cognac for you, right?"

"I trust you know how?"

"I know where he lives, yeah. I'll be back in a jiffy with him."

"Here, take this."

Yoko opened a file cabinet and took out an envelope. She handed it to Rei.

"Need I even ask?"

"Cognac will understand what it means when he sees it. Just give it to him, and then have him call me. I suspect he already knows The Boss's phone number, and if not you can just insert the number for him."

"Understood. Bye."

 **Scene Transition**

Rei parked the car and burst inside the Kudo Residence, where Subaru Okiya was calmly eating dinner.

"Is Kudo-kun here?" Rei asked.

His mouth was full, so he simply pointed in the direction of the Professor's home.

Rei burst inside the correct house half a minute later. Conan was waiting for him.

"Since you're here at this time, during that critical operation, with a look like that on your face, something must've gone terribly wrong," Conan said.

"This envelope," Rei said. "I was told you'd understand what's in it."

Conan opened it, and Rei watched as the shrunken detective's calm demeanor gave way to a look of sheer panic.

On the envelope was a list of names, names that Shinichi Kudo was all too familiar with:

Yusaku Kudo. Yukiko Kudo. Kogoro Mouri. Eri Kisaki. Sonoko Suzuki. Hiroshi Agasa. And many, many, many others. It wasn't just a list of names; it included the addresses of the people in question, as well as clandestinely taken photographs of them. Fortunately Mitsuhiko, Ayumi, and Genta were not on the list, though Conan, Nancy, and Haibara were, due to the fact that these three were living with people included on the list.

"W-what do they want me to...?" Conan asked, more of a declaration of surrender than anything else.

"Save Rum," Tooru said. "I take it that bug was yours?"

Conan nodded reluctantly.

"Then you should already understand the situation pretty well," Rei said. "You wanna dial the Boss's number, or should I do it?"

Conan set the Voice-Changing Bowtie to Shinichi's voice, took out his phone, and began to dial that number:

 **0858-969-6261**

 **Scene Transition**

"Okay, I'm opening the link now."

Shinichi/Conan sat at the kitchen table with a laptop taken from the Kudo Residence in hand.

"Do you see it?"

"Yeah." He had opened a link to a website with a live data feed, constantly being updated by the BO's "Situation Room".

It provided real-world updates of the situation on the ground, such as a GPS map providing a rough estimate of Rum's current position.

Shinichi/Conan made the map larger, so he could get a sense of Rum's general area. "Wait, this is in Hokkaido, right?"

"That is correct."

Rei tapped on Conan's shoulder. He was holding a phone, and Line Zero's number was being displayed.

"Listen, uh, I need to make a phone call right now," Shinichi/Conan said to The Boss. "Off I come up with any ideas, I'll call back."

"Very well. Do not fail me, Cognac."

After he hung up, he took Rei's phone and put it to his ear. "Yes?"

"Rei-kun informed me of your situation," Elena said. "You're helping Rum escape? Do you realise how important this operation is?!"

"I don't really have a choice!" Shinichi/Conan protested. "Did Rei-san tell you what they would do if I failed?"

"Believe me, you need fear me just as much as you do them," Elena said. "So how about this: if you help Rum, causing our operation to fail...then Ran won't be safe."

W-what...? Conan thought. "I-I'm sorry, did you just say that...?"

"I think you heard me correctly," Elena said. "We gave Ran her second chance at life, and we can just as easily take it away. Unlike the Men in Black, I am perfectly aware who 'Nancy Akechi' really is, and my associates will be able to track her down no matter what age she is."

"Then how the f**k are you any different from the Black Organisation?!"

"Watch your tongue, boy," Elena said. "I've sacrificed more than you know. Everything that I do is for the salvation of the human race. I'm rather fond of you, Shinichi Kudo, for a number of reasons, and frankly, I'm fond of Ran Mouri also, but I always have and always will put my mission ahead of any personal attachments. So yes, I am more than willing to have Ran assassinated, if that's what it takes to keep you from botching this operation."

"...I-I can't satisfy you both," Shinichi/Conan said. "I understand what you're telling me, but if I listen to you, they will kill everyone that I...Don't you see that it's a lose-lose situation for me?! How can you be so heartless?!"

"Figure something out. A compromise, if you will. You've got more brains than you know what to do with, so use them!"

Then she hung up.

 **Scene Transition**

"Ouch. Now I remember why you're in charge."

Atsushi Miyano was leaning against the door post.

Elena sighed. "I don't mean it, you know. I...just needed something to motivate him."

"You don't need to justify your decisions," Atsushi said. "Not to me. A long time ago we both set out on this mission together, and we both vowed to do whatever it took, to make any sacrifice, to defeat those who would see this world engulfed in flames."

"I haven't forgotten," Elena said. "But recently, I've done many things that are morally repugnant. I don't know if I can keep doing this kind of thing on a daily basis."

"You're human," Atsushi said. "Nobody expects you to be some kind of emotionless, amoral logic machine. If you've had enough, I'm willing to switch with you."

"No," Elena said reluctantly. "We both know you're the better scientist, and that I'm better at making these kind of hard calls. Switching roles would be quite inefficient, and we can't afford inefficiency. We've just got a few months left, maybe a year, and then our life's work will be vindicated at long last."

"So what'll happen if Kudo-kun doesn't find a third option?"

"He will. If he doesn't, then he wouldn't be the man we've believed him to be."

Elena sighed. "Unfortunately, in this desperate war we can't afford the luxury of inefficiency."

"And is love...inefficient?" Atsushi asked.

Elena smiled. "Of course. It's one of the most inefficient and troublesome things that there is. But without love, few things are possible, and that which can be done without love is done without reason."

"Aptly spoken."

Her phone started ringing, and Atsushi knew that it was time for him to leave.

Elena answered the phone. "Give me an update."

 **Scene Transition**

"We're about to land on the airstrip," Jodie Starling reported.

"Very well," Elena said. "Call me back when you catch up with the tank."

She hung up, and Jodie prepared to land the helicopter.

As soon as it set down, Ryan Jackson got out. Yoshiteru and Shuichi (who suffered a relatively mild head injury) got in. Hidemi was about to follow them, but Ryan stopped her.

"You've done enough," Ryan said. "I'm here to take you to the Safe House."

The helicopter took off without them.

"You mean...I'm finally through?" Hidemi said.

"That's right," Ryan said. "Your country thanks you for your service, for the sacrifices that you, and your family, have made. After today, you'll be able to rest knowing that Ethan's death meant something. His suicide then sparked a chain of events that one day would lead to our present situation."

"But, Yoshiteru and..."

"Have a little faith, won't you?" Ryan said reassuringly. "Alone, Yoshiteru is a force to be reckoned with, and so is Shuichi Akai. Together, they're an unstoppable team that even Rum can't stand against. Not even when he's riding in a stolen Russian tank."

"...What now?" Hidemi asked. "I don't know what to do now that..."

Ryan laughed. "You think I'm firing you? No, I'm simply reassigning you. You'll still be a participant in the fight against the Black Organisation; from now on, you'll simply be a part of this fight in a less dangerous way. You'll remain stationed in Japan for the time being. But for tonight, all we're gonna do is go to the Safe House, and pray that Yoshiteru's not gonna, you know."

"I think I've said this before, but I'm not really a praying woman," Hidemi said.

Then she sighed. "But tonight, Yoshiteru's gonna need all the help he can get."

"Atta girl," Ryan said. "The Uber I called should get here any minute."

"Will The Company get me a new car?" Hidemi asked, pointing to the smoldering pile of debris that was once her car.

Ryan smiled. "I think I can arrange that."

 **Scene Transition**

"Elena-san, this is Akai. We've regained visuals on the tank."

"Be on guard," Elena said. "Reports have started coming in that the tank was stolen, and apparently its armaments that were brought for the live fire demonstration went missing too."

"...You mean it's armed?!" Akai said.

Akai's exclamation shocked everyone in the helicopter.

"H-how're we gonna compete with that?" Andre, who was Jodie's copilot, asked.

"I've got an idea," Yoshiteru said.

He opened the side door to the helicopter and began manning the minigun.

"What are you doing?!" Jodie demanded.

"Akai, you keep an eye on the tank hatch. Don't let Rum ditch the T-14 and give us the slip. Jodie-san, tail the tank at such an angle that I'm always facing it."

"You aren't gonna be able to pierce that beast's hide," Akai said.

"That's not what I'm planning on," Yoshiteru said. "Anyway, you guys got all that?"

They nodded and followed Yoshiteru's instructions. Shuichi opened the other helicopter door, lowered the rope ladder, and lowered himself down so that he was hanging down from the helicopter by the ladder. He pointed his sniper rifle at the tank.

"I sure hope you know what you're doing," Andre said.

"So do I," Yoshiteru said.

Rum, realising that a helicopter was following him, stopped the tank and used its optics to get a closer look. Dangling from the helicopter was Shuichi Akai, an arch-enemy of the BO, and that skull-ish guy from earlier was pointing a minigun at the tank.

He accelerated the tank again, but he also rotated the turret. The tank was designed to be manned by three people, so doing all of this of the same time was a task Rum found quite difficult.

"Here it comes!" Andre said.

Seconds later, the tank fired a round. The round traveled about halfway to the helicopter, and then it exploded.

A few seconds later, Rum fired another round, and the same thing happened again.

"What just happened?!" Andre asked.

"Impressive, Nichimura-san!" Shuichi shouted. "You fired your minigun at the incoming tank round, and the collision between the powerful, high-speed bullet and the fast-moving round was enough to neutralise the incoming projectile! All you had to do was predict the round's flight path, which I guess is pretty easy whenever it can only travel in a straight path after being launched from the turret gun!"

He would get no reply, since the helicopter was too loud for them to hear him shouting from outside.

A third round was fired, and for a third time the round was neutralised. Then, the tank came to a halt.

"What's he up to now?" Jodie asked.

"S**T! He's gonna use his anti-aircraft missiles!" Yoshiteru said.

Three seconds later, a 3UBK21 "Sprinter" missile emerged from the tank. Yoshiteru barely managed to destroy it in time. In fact, it was so close that when it exploded the shock wave nearly knocked Yoshiteru out of the chopper through the door on the opposite side. He quickly re-assumed his position at the minigun and prepared for another round/missile.

Shuichi climbed back up.

"Dang it!" He said. "In that last shock wave I lost my rifle!"

Yoshiteru handed Shuichi his. "It isn't quite a sniper rifle, but someone like you should be able to...!"

Then, another Sprinter missile was fired. Yoshiteru's reaction time was a tad slower this time, but that was compensated for by the fact that this time he had a better grasp of the missile's flight path. Once again, he barely managed to destroy it in time.

Shuichi re-assumed his position, and the tank began moving again. This was gonna be a long night.

 **Scene Transition**

"So this is the situation thus far," Conan said. "Rum's progress is being monitored thus far by a high-altitude reconnaissance drone, and the footage is being streamed on this website. It would appear that several anti-tank rounds and anti-aircraft missiles have been fired at the CIA/FBI's helicopter, which is in pursuit. Somehow these attacks failed to reach their target and exploded in midair. The plan is for the chopper to follow the tank until it runs out of gas, after which they'll land and kill/capture Rum."

Rei and Dr. Agasa nodded.

"So Elena-san won't let you help Rum escape?" Dr. Agasa asked.

"That's right," Conan said. "I'm hoping that maybe she'll come to realise that..."

"Unlikely," Rei said. "The success of this operation is extremely important to the cause."

He turned to Dr. Agasa. "By the way, where's that little girl who lives here?"

"Oh, uh, she turned in early tonight," Dr. Agasa said.

Meanwhile, at the Kudo Residence, "Subaru Okiya" was re-watching an episode of _Shoudou_.

"I've got it!" Conan said.

He re-dialed Yoko.

"Boss, I've got it!" Shinichi/Conan said. "Get me on the phone with Rum, if you'd please."

"Uh, no. Whatever you can tell Rum, you can tell me. I'll relay your instructions to him."

Ryusuke had, after all, gone to this mission carrying with him only his personal phone.

"Okay then," Shinichi/Conan said. "As you know, Hokkaido is one of the principal mining regions of Japan. A short way up from where Rum is now, there's a coal mine that was abandoned in the 1950s. If he can take refuge there..."

"You're forgetting something," Yoko said, irritation in her voice. "The helicopter will see him the tank go there."

"Not necessarily," Shinichi/Conan said. "Ask Rum how much ammunition he has left."

"...Two tank rounds, one sabot round, and two anti-aircraft missiles," Yoko answered.

"Okay, so, according to weather reports it hasn't rained in that part of Japan in three weeks. That means the surrounding woods should be quite dry...and thus, easy to set ablaze."

"Wait, are you suggesting that...?"

"Yeah," Shinichi/Conan confirmed. "Rum is to set the surrounding woods on fire, and use that as a smokescreen to escape to the coal mine undetected. The coal mine can be reached by traveling through the woods on Rum's right side. I'll tell him when to stop...three, two, one, STOP!"

Yoko relayed the order, and Rum's tank came to a grinding halt.

"Okay, he should be able to reach the mine simply by traveling in a straight line rightwards," Shinichi/Conan said. "First things first, though. Set it all ablaze."

Man, the environmental damage stemming from this is gonna be huge, Conan thought.

 **Scene Transition**

"Why's he stopping now?" Andre asked.

"Don't tell me he's gonna shoot at us again!" Jodie said.

To all of their surprise, the turret was re-aimed, this time at the forest. It fired one shot, and thirty seconds later the entire woods was on fire.

Jodie gasped. "What's he...?!"

They were even more shocked to see Rum drive the tank into the flames.

"I-is he crazy?!" Andre exclaimed.

"...No," Shuichi said, climbing back up. "He's riding in a state-of-the-art 21st century war machine. It can handle a few flames. In short, he's lost us. He could either go up or down about a mile, and then come out and be on his merry way. Or he could simply hide among the flames while we wander around aimlessly trying to find him."

Yoshiteru sighed. "Andre-san, Jodie-san, let's call the operation off. If we remain suspended above the flames, it could prove hazardous. Let's leave it to the local police to keep him from operating the tank on the roads freely."

"Another day, Rum," Shuichi vowed underneath his breath.

 **Scene Transition**

"Congratulations, Cognac," Yoko said. "Rum's parked the tank safely inside the mine's entrance, and the FBI helicopter has given up the chase."

"So does that mean the people I care about are safe?" Shinichi/Conan asked.

"For the time, yes," Yoko said. "Hopefully the situation won't become so desperate again that I have to resort to re-issuing that threat."

"Likewise. Goodnight, Boss. We'll resolve this in the morning."

He hung up.

"Why do you look relieved?" Rei asked. "Didn't Elena-san say that...?"

"I'm well aware of what I've just done," Conan said. "And I don't think it'll be a problem. Rei-san, you can go home now."

Rei nodded. "Good luck." Then he walked out the door.

And then, it came. The call from Elena. Conan answered, and the phone to his ear with a strange grin.

"DO YOU REALISE WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!" Elena screamed.

"Yes, I do," Conan said. He said it slowly, calmly, with a grin that was almost evil. "I formulated the perfect compromise, just as you demanded from me. One that'll satisfy both you and Yoko-san."

"...I'm listening. What is this so-called compromise? Tell me."

"Gladly."

 **Ending:**

(If I Must Fade Away by Aya Kamiki)

If I must fade away

Into the great nothingness that only God knows

Then I want to spend my last moments with you

Gaze deeply into my eyes and set my soul on fire

Let my last few minutes be like an eternity passed

Speak to me tenderly and truthfully, a deathbed confession

Tell me how well I lived, what difference my life made

Let me hear the voices of the people whose lives I touched

Let me hear them say to me, "Thank you" and "Farewell"

Let it be God has weighed the life I lived and found it good

Let His face smile upon me as I enter what lies after death

Hold me tightly, don't let go as long as life is still within me

As my senses go numb let your warmth be the last thing I feel

Above all, let not this heart of mine live its last moments in bitterness

But rather, let me be happy that I was alive, ready to let go with a smile

 **End of Episode**


End file.
